This Wasn't Supposed to Happen
by dobsleyandstelena
Summary: Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev have had feelings for each other since they met in 2009. They tried to get rid of these feelings by moving on with new relationships. Will they ever be able to accept how much they love each other? Or are they both convinced that this was never supposed to happen? A story about the love Dobsley so obviously has going on.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"I used to know every constellation. How did I forget them all?" she asks, gazing lazily into the night sky.

"You're drunk. You need to go home," I sigh with my hands on my hips.

"Fine. Let me find my car," she says. She stumbles as she gets up from the bleachers.

"You're joking, right?" I ask, and she starts to giggle.

"Uh-oh. It's the fun police. I thought that ripper Stefan was supposed to be, the life of the party?" she asks, throwing up her arms, questioning why I care.

I squint my eyes at her stubborness, but ignore the question and say, "Alright, c'mon. I'm driving you home."

As I turn around, she makes her way to the edge of the bleachers and climbs over them so she is hanging slightly.

"What, are you 5? Get down," I order, still trying to hide my worry.

"Why? Are you afraid I'm gonna-" she says as she slips a bit, causing me to jerk forward and gasp, anticipating her to plummet to the ground. "Oh, that was close. Klaus would _not_ be happy with you," she snickers and points at me.

"You're hilarious," I banter back at her, using the same tone.

"Look, Stefan, no hands," she says, taking her hands off of the railing, and falling just a little. I jerk forward and gasp again. She giggles and grabs onto the railing.

"CUT!" yells the director, snapping me back into reality. "Great work, you two! Everyone take five! We'll shoot the fall next!" he yells again.

Nina climbs back over the bleachers, and hops down them towards me. "That was intense, Paul," she says, smiling.

"As usual," I smile wide and bump her with my elbow.

As we walk towards the craft service truck to get some food, Nina turns to me and asks, "So how's Torrey?"

"Torrey? Oh, she's fine. She's been busy with shooting-" I pause.

"Pretty Little Liars," Nina says, finishing my sentence.

"Right," I smile at her and laugh at how out of it I am.

"What?" she asks, returning the smile.

"Nothing. How's Ian?" I change the subject.

"What do you mean? You saw him today! Didn't you?" Nina laughs, bumping into me with her shoulder.

"Yeah, I just shot some scenes with him, but still. There are things you know about him that I don't. Personal things," I smile as I look over at her. She smiles, and our eyes meet.

We stop walking.

Then Nina says, "There are also things I know about you that he doesn't," I stare into her eyes and then it's all gone. The truth, the worries, the possibilities; they disappear. All of the things keeping me from going after what I want. The things keeping me from Nina.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Ian asks. He walks over to us and slings his arm around my neck. Nina and I don't answer him as we all walk into the truck.

I quickly grab an apple and a water, then turn to leave. I shut the door behind me, but Nina manages to squeeze through the small space, and catch up with me.

"Like what?" I ask. I wonder if she'll know what I mean.

She gives me a questioning look, before smiling and saying, "Like how you're such an intense person, but can make people laugh easier than you breathe."

"You don't think Ian knows that?" I ask.

She bites into an apple. "I mean, I think he gets that you're intense. Everyone knows that," she says, right before taking a drink from a water bottle.

"Ouch!" I shout. I nudge her with my elbow, so she spills some of the water on the ground.

Nina starts laughing and throws her head back as she says, "Hey!" We both smile at each other for a while, until she continues by saying, "But seriously. He may get that you're really intense about everything, yet funny at the same time, but it's deeper than that," I look at her as she pauses. "You've won people over just by looking at them."

At first I don't know how to answer.

She must be talking about Torrey. But I didn't win Torrey over by looking at her. "Like who?" I ask, secretly hoping she'll say what I'm thinking.

Only a few seconds pass, but it feels like forever until she answers, "Like me."

"Really?" I ask. My mind has suddenly gone blank. I'm numb to almost everything around me. All I hear is Nina.

"Yeah. I mean, when you came in for the audition, we had already seen a lot of guys. Julie and Kevin were just as tired as me, if not more. So many actors. So many guys that wanted the role. They weren't bad or anything. But none of them could do what you did," I give her a confused look. "None of them won me over like you did," she finishes, staring at me intently.

I'm numb again.

All I can think about is the pair of deep brown eyes staring back at me.

"Was it the goofiness?" I joke.

The serious look escapes her face, and her lips curve into a smile.

"What about the lack of style?" She starts to giggle as I continue, "Or how about the awkwardness that follows me-" Nina throws her head back and laughs.

She pushes lightly me with her arm and screams, "Stop!"

I can't help but laugh with her.

When she stops laughing, she turns to me and says, "No. No it was none of those things. It was your passion for acting, the fact that you were so talented yet so humble, and most of all, your genuine smile."

Before I can answer, Ian comes barreling towards us shouting, "Hey! Let's get you ready to fall off of some bleachers!"

This time he slings his arm around Nina's waist.

They walk quickly towards the set, so I walk by myself.

Her presence has disappeared, leaving me with so many things I still want to say.

Then, Nina turns and smiles at me.

I mouth, _thank_ _you, _but she's already turned back around.

I walk to my trailer to get ready for the next scene. When I am almost inside, I remember that day.

The day that I won over the most amazing girl I have ever met.

The day I met Nina Dobrev.

_I sit in an almost empty room in a blue chair, studying my lines. _

_Every now and then, people come out of the infamous door, disappointed because they didn't get the part. _

_A man standing by the door shouts, "Next!" _

_Am I next? _

_I get up from my chair and walk over to the door. _

_"Paul Wesley?" the man asks, as if he already knows the answer. _

_I nod silently. _

_"Go on inside. Good luck." he says in a bored tone, seeming as though he's been saying that all day._

_ As I walk into the room, I see three people sitting at a long brown table. The blonde woman at the right of the table smiles at me, and the man at the left of the table gives me a questioning look. _

_Then I see her. _

_The girl in the middle is looking down, studying her lines. Her long brown hair is curly and drapes over her shoulders like a blanket. _

_All I want is for her to look up. Every muscle in my body is anticipating the moment when she will notice I'm in the room. _

_And then she does. _

_Suddenly, I'm surrounded by brown. I stare into her eyes and nothing else matters. _

_She smiles at me, then looks away. _

_What is she doing here? This is the audition room for the part of Stefan. _

_Unless.. _

_"You must be," the blonde woman pauses as she looks down at her clipboard. "Paul Wesley?" _

_I nod silently again, still looking at the girl in the middle._

_ "This is Nina Dobrev. She'll be reading for the part of Elena," the blonde woman motions to the girl next to her. _

_All this time, Nina's eyes have been wandering around the room, never actually looking into mine. _

_Until they do. _

_Our eyes meet and I see nobody else. I have to know her._

_ "Oh. Pardon me. Is this the men's room?" I ask. _

_I gaze into her brown orbs._

_ "Yes. Um..I was just..um..I was just..um.. It's a long story," Nina stutters, looking back into mine._

_ I flip through my script as the blonde woman, apparently speaking to the man at the other end of the table, asks, "Should we do another scene? What do you think, Kevin?" _

_I look up slightly to see Nina reading over her lines. _

_"I think we're okay. Thank you, Paul. We'll let you know," Kevin says. _

_I nod and quietly say, "Thank you." _

_As I walk to the door I look once more at Nina, and don't drop my gaze until I'm completely gone. _

_I close the door behind me and walk towards the exit. _

_My phone starts to vibrate against my leg and I see that Torrey is calling me. _

_"Hey! How'd the audition go?" asks the voice on the other line. _

_"Great. I really knocked 'em dead," I hope that I don't sound distant._

_ "I'll see you when you get home! You can tell me all about it then. Love you, bye," she says, waiting for me to answer before hanging up. _

_"Love you too," I answer. _

_After I hang up, I put my phone back into my pocket and get into my car. _

_I haven't stopped thinking about Nina since I walked into the audition room._

"Paul! Paul, are you alive in there?" I hear her voice just outside my trailer.

She asked Ian to help her with the fall scene, why would she be looking for me?

I open the door of my trailer and smile at her back.

"I'm here," I say as I stand on the top step.

She turns around and smiles up at me.

"And alive," I add.

I look into her eyes and ask, "What's up?"

Suddenly, her bright smile changes into a look I haven't seen in quite a while.

Disappointment?

Regret?

Worry?

"Will you help me with the fall scene?" she asks, with a hopeful look on her face.

"I thought-" I start to say, but she interrupts me.

"I would rather have you help me."

Somehow, she knew I was going to say that, and I try to lighten the dreary mood.

"Well, of course I'll help you," I say. I walk down the steps to the ground smile at her.

Her demeanor instantly changes to one of pure happiness.

I want to ask her to expand on why she would rather me help her than Ian, but I don't.

Nobody likes to be pressured.

We walk to set smiling.

When we get to set, people swarm Nina and start to set her up for the fall.

Most actors are too stuck up to do their own stunts.

I've always admired that about her. No matter what, she begs them to do stunts.

She's fearless.

I take my spot at the edge of the bleachers and reread my lines as the director walks over and says, "Hey! Good. You're both here! We're going to start from when Nina says, '_why_ _are_ _you_ _afraid_ _I'm_ _gonna_ _fall' _got it?" he says, looking from me to Nina and back again.

We both nod at the same time, and then take our places.

I close my eyes to brush off all of the outside distractions.

The director yells action just as I open my eyes.

"Why, are you afraid that I'm gonna-" Nina says as she nearly slips off the edge of the bleachers.

I flinch just as she does, but do my best to give her an annoyed look instead of a concerned one.

She regains her balance and giggles, pointing in my direction as she says, "That was close. Klaus would not be happy with you."

I laugh quietly as I shout back at her, "You're hilarious."

I cross my arms over my chest, trying to hide how worried I am.

"Look, Stefan, no hands!" she says, letting go of the bleachers, then grabbing hold of them at the last second.

She giggles as I jerk forward once again, but this time she doesn't regain her balance and she falls.

She screams, and I rush to catch her.

She falls safety in my arms and we look into each other's eyes.

I don't realize how heavily we're both breathing until she chokes out, "I knew you'd catch me."

I have my arms protectively around her and don't let go when the director yells cut.

My arms are still gripping her waist, and her arms are still tight around my shoulders.

I look at the girl in my arms and realize that lying and pretending isn't going to change the truth.

I'm in love with Nina Dobrev.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nothing makes sense.

Words and noises coming from all directions jumble together, and I can't distinguish any of them.

I can only see what is right in front of me. I can only think of one thing: Nina.

"Guys? Are you two okay?" I finally hear the director say as he walks over to us.

We ignore him.

_Let go, Paul. Let go of her._

My body doesn't listen to my brain, because my heart says to hold on.

"Hey, you can let go now. I said cut. The camera has stopped rolling," the director's voice gets clearer as he comes closer to us.

_Take your hands off of her, Paul. The scene is over._

"Nina. Paul. What's the matter?" he asks. He looks at both of us.

I feel another hand on my shoulder. I look up to see the director standing next to us.

"Um.." is all I manage choke out.

Nina's arms slide off of my shoulders and land at my chest. Her eyes never leave my face, but I don't turn my head.

It takes every ounce of strength inside me not to look at her. My arms remain at her waist.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Ian standing next to Julie and Kevin, staring at us. I drop my arms.

"What's wrong with you two? You can cut the awkward tension with a knife," says the director. He places his hand on my shoulder again.

"We're..just..we're..fine," Nina tries to explain. She shifts her gaze to where Ian is standing. The second she sees him, I push away from Nina and the director.

"Paul, wait," Nina says.

"Where are you going?" the director asks.

"Paul?" Ian asks. He touches my shoulder as I walk quickly past them all.

I don't care if I have to shoot another scene. I don't care if they get mad at me. I just need to get out of here.

Away from the unmistakeable feelings, the inability for words, the undeniable truth.

I have to get away from Nina.

Why now?

Why do I feel like this towards her?

I've been working with her for two years; why did I wait until now to feel like this?

_That's not true, Paul. That's not true and you know it._

I wish that I could say this is the only time I have looked her in the eyes and thought about nothing other than pushing her against a wall and putting my lips on hers.

_But it's not, Paul._

I've always felt that feeling of pure passion and desire.

I don't want to. I would like nothing more than to see her strictly as a co-star; a pretty girl with an amazing personality.

_I never asked to feel this way about her._

_This wasn't supposed to happen._

"Paul? What's the matter?" Candice touches my shoulder lightly.

"Are you alright, Paul?" Claire stands in front of me with a worried look on her face.

I push past both of them.

"Hey! Slow down!"

I stop and turn around to see Torrey walking towards me.

"What's wrong?" she smiles at me.

When I don't answer, she continues, "I thought that we should go get some lunch. You must be hungry."

I stay quiet, unable to trust my words.

I nod instead.

"Yeah, why don't we all go?" Candice smiles from behind Torrey.

Claire nods in agreement and Torrey turns back to me. She opens her mouth to speak, but Ian's voice rings out instead.

"That settles it! We'll all go!" he has his arm draped over Nina's shoulder.

I refuse to look into her eyes, fearing that I might not be able to look away.

"Where to?" Claire looks around the circle of people that has formed.

"I'm in a buffet kind of mood." Ian rubs his stomach with his free hand.

"There's a new Chinese place a couple of blocks away. It's called 'Yin-Yang Buffet.' Sound good to everybody?" Torrey looks to everyone for their opinions.

Candice, Claire, and Ian nod.

We head to lunch.

The smell of egg rolls and soy sauce is overwhelming as we walk through the doors.

We all sit down and a friendly looking woman bounces over to us, "Welcome to Yin-Yang Buffet, everyone! My name is Emily! What can I get you all to drink?" she almost screams this in our ears, which is weird considering there's almost nobody else here and there's no music playing.

"I'll have water," Torrey smiles brightly at Emily.

Claire and Candice nod in agreement and Emily writes on her notepad.

Ian looks at Nina, "What do you want?"

I can feel her eyes on me, but I don't dare look up.

Instead, I answer Emily's question, "Actually, I'll be at the bar. Excuse me," I get up quickly, but not before receiving a confused look from Torrey.

"You're not even going to get some food?"

I act as if I didn't hear her as I get out of the booth and start walking to the bar.

"Paul doesn't like Chinese food," Nina looks down at her menu as five pairs of eyes dart in her direction.

I don't look at her, but I stop walking for a second.

I continue as Nina gets up and excuses herself.

I see her slide out of the booth and follow me to the bar. I turn around in the spinning chair, hoping it only looks like she is coming towards me.

Sure enough, not too long after I turn around, she sits down next to me and looks at the bartender saying, "Two shots of tequila."

He nods and prepares the drinks.

As he slides them across the counter towards us, Nina grabs one and knocks her head back before slamming down the empty glass.

"Wow, I didn't know you took shots," I comment. I try not to smile.

She laughs quietly before pushing the other glass to me.

I take the glass in my hand and for the first time since the scene, I look into her eyes.

She returns the look and I nearly lose it.

_You can't keep pretending that there's nothing there; that you don't want her._

"Why are you ignoring me?" she asks, sounding genuinely hurt.

I wish I could say I'm not.

I wish I could tell her I wasn't trying to ignore her.

_But then you would be lying._

So I don't answer at first. I just sit there, staring into her eyes.

One part of me wishes she would look away, and another is trying to convince my body to move forward and kiss her before it's too late.

"What would make you think I'm ignoring you?" I ask. I curse myself for sounding seductive.

"Well, this is the first time you've looked me in the eye since..before. And the last time you talked to me was when we were by your trailer a little bit ago."

Neither of us has dropped our gaze yet.

"This is what I was afraid of," I accidentally say out loud.

I immediately look away, fearing that she'll see right through me.

At first she looks as though she doesn't understand, but then her face softens and she opens her mouth to speak.

I interrupt her, "This isn't okay. I'm married to Torrey and you're dating Ian. I'm not allowed to feel like this."

She reaches out and puts her hand on my cheek. I freeze as I look from her hand to her face. She smiles and rubs her thumb back and forth on my jaw. I hold her gaze and clench my teeth.

I refuse to show how much of an effect her touch has on me.

My lips quiver as she inches closer to my face.

_No._

_Not here._

_Not like this._

_Not in front of Torrey and Ian, and anyone else watching._

"You're allowed to feel whatever you want," her voice is rough and quiet, yet somewhat inviting as she whispers in my ear.

I feel her lips brush my ear. I hadn't noticed my hand on her thigh all this time, and as much as I tell myself to move, it stays there.

Our lips are now inches apart, and if I were to move forward even a little, our lips would touch and I would lose it.

I can't let that happen.

It takes every muscle in me to get up and put money on the counter. It takes every sane thought I have to walk away from her and everyone else.

But it only takes one second for me to regret not staying.

_You're doing this to protect her._

_You're doing this to keep her from feeling for you what you feel for her._

But there lies the problem.

From what I just experienced, she already does.

My hotel room in the only escape I have. The only way for me to ditch all the problems I'm causing.

I don't want to hurt anyone.

Ian has been nothing short of a best friend these past years, and it would be wrong to betray him.

Still, after everything is said and done, I can't fight my unflinching attraction to Nina.

A simple touch from her finger makes my body ache for her.

The truth is: I want Nina.

As I think of this, the doorbell rings. "Come in," I shout.

Torrey bursts through the door and stomps in front of me.

"Here," she sneers, throwing a stack of papers onto my stomach.

"What are these?" I ask. I move the papers as I struggle to sit up.

"It's a divorce form. Sign it," she barks back at me.

I look at her in complete shock. Her eyes are cold.

She glares at me. "I..I don't understand."

"As if you don't know!" she shouts back at me.

I stand up and put my arms around her, but she pushes me away.

"I saw you and Nina flirting at the bar! Don't you _dare_ pretend like I'm stupid, Paul! This is the last straw! You two have been getting hot and heavy since you got the damn job two years ago!" I notice a tear rolling down her cheek. I reach to wipe it away.

"I'm so sorry," I choke out, expecting her to slap my hand away. "This wasn't supposed to happen, and I'm sorry."

I don't know what else to say. She gives me a fake smile as she turns back to the door.

"Goodbye, Paul."

It doesn't even feel like two seconds later when the doorbell rings again.

I open it and see her standing there, gasping, with tears streaming down her face.

"Ian broke up with me," she runs into the room, throws her arms around my waist, and buries her face in my chest.

"Shh..it's okay. It's all going to be okay," I tell her sympathetically. I run my fingers through her hair and kiss the top of her head.

"You're okay. I'm here," I close my eyes and breathe in the scent of coconut shampoo.

I hear my phone. I take it from my pocket and put my ear to it.

"Hello?"

I hold the phone away from my ear and see that it isn't even on.

I jump up from the bed gasping.

_It must have been a dream._

I look to the nightstand and see my phone vibrating. When I pick it up, I see I have two missed calls from Torrey. My phone rings while it's still in my hands. I answer it right away.

"Hello?" my voice is raspy as I speak into the phone.

"Hey! I've been trying to get a hold of you for ten minutes! Where are you?" she sounds frantic, and I don't blame her.

_You ran out of that restaurant pretty fast._

_If only she knew why._

"I..I'm at my hotel. I needed some rest."

_At least she can't see you right now. _

_She would be able to sense the lie right away._

"Okay, well..I wish we could've caught up a little more before I had to fly back to LA, but my flight is leaving in an hour..so..I just wanted to check in," she sounds disappointed. Guilt hits me: _hard_.

That vanishes when I think of how untrue I've been to her. I shouldn't get to feel guilty.

"Oh, well..we can catch up when we both take a break from filming in a couple weeks."

"That sounds good. By the way, are you okay, Paul? You rushed out of the restaurant before we got a chance to-"

The doorbell rings.

"Sorry, someone's at the door."

I open it to see her standing outside, just like in my dream.

But she's not crying, she's giving me a warm smile that makes me lost for words.

Once I realize my mouth is hanging open, I also notice Torrey is still on the phone.

"Paul? Are you okay? Who's at the door? What's going-"

I hang up on her and put the phone on a table near the door.

For a while we both just stand there, staring into each other's eyes. Then I break the silence.

"Um..h-hi," I lick my lips.

"Hi," she sighs.

"W-would you like to..come in?" I stumble over my words, surprised at how much of an effect she has on me.

"I would love to," her smile reaches her eyes and they fill with happiness. I move slightly to the left and she brushes past me.

A familiar smell wafts through the door, and I let myself smile just a little.

_Coconut._


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hello world, and all who inhabit it :) so I'm going to try my best to upload everything I have written in this story so far in the next few days. No promises. I have to combine all the small chapters into one large one, then fix any mistakes, add or take away stuff, and then of course, not fail school in the process. Wish me luck, haha. Enjoy :)**

The door swings shut as I put my phone back in my pocket.

Instead of turning around to see her wandering around the room, she is still right behind me. Our chests bump and I instinctively grab her waist. My heartbeat quickens when her hands land on my chest. I swallow hard and try to control my breathing.

"Uh..welcome to my hotel room," I stare at her lips, so perfectly shaped. Her mouth is just slightly open, and I think of what her lips taste like outside of acting.

_They must taste different, more real._

"It's..very..nice.," her breathing is shaky and she licks her lips as she looks into my eyes.

"Would you..like something to drink?" I inch my face closer to hers and brush my lips over her ear.

"I would love..something to drink," she drags out the word love. I can feel her lips quiver against my cheek. I bring my face in front of hers again, and our lips barely skim each others. I put my forehead against hers and close my eyes.

You shouldn't be doing this. You should be with Torrey during her last couple minutes in Atlanta.

You're married to Torrey.

You love Torrey.

"What are you thinking?" Nina's eyes close and she pulls me by my shirt so I am closer to her.

"Th-that this is wrong..but I can't find it in myself to stop," I whisper so quietly I'm not even sure she heard me.

"Why not?" she whispers back, moving her face closer. I don't respond for a second.

I think about how we have come to this.

_How did we go from only kissing in front of a camera to nearly kissing because it feels good?_

_Does it matter?_

"Because I don't want to," I finally say.

Then I do what I've been fighting all this time. I give in to her.

I push my lips onto hers and notice they do taste different, sweeter.

She jumps into my arms and wraps her legs around my waist. I push her into the wall closest to us, and break our lips apart. She gets down from the wall as I pin her by her wrists against it. I feel her chest drop and rise with every breath she takes. I unbutton her top as I start to kiss her again. She smiles against my lips and shrugs out of the now unbuttoned shirt.

Moments later, she grabs the bottom of my shirt and pulls upward, sliding it over my head. When I'm out of the shirt, I throw it to the floor next to her discarded one and smile as she puts her hands on me.

_This isn't at all like filming the various make out scenes in the past._

We travel to the bed and she pushes my chest so I land on it first. I lightly tug at her arms until she falls softly on top of me. Our lips touch again, but this time I break the kiss and turn my head away. She tries to pull my face towards her again, but I resist.

"Nina," I say firmly.

"What's wrong?" she looks hurt. I hardly convince myself to hold her gaze.

"This isn't right. I don't want it to be like this. I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do," I look into her eyes, hopeful that she'll understand and stop.

"You're not forcing me to do anything I don't want to do. This is all me," she smiles as she says this and I cup her face with my hands.

"I just know you'll regret it," I smile slightly and rub her bare shoulders, suddenly thinking she could be cold.

She gives me a devilish smile and falls onto my body again.

"Now, why on earth would I ever regret this?"

My eyes are closed, but I can feel her lips hovering right over mine. I stop trying to control myself as I grab her face and I smash my lips onto hers.

"Paul. I know you're in there! Just let me in! I'm sorry!"

Nina's voice registers in my head, so I pull away from her only to see she isn't talking.

"Please, Paul. We really need to talk! Let me explain!"

I sit up in my bed and reach to the empty space where she was only a moment ago.

_Oh, why did that have to be a dream?_

_Are you actually wishing it was real?_

I rush out of bed and open the door to see a girl on the verge of crying standing on the other side.

"Nina," I breathe out.

She looks heartbroken, but no tears come raining down from her eyes.

I don't speak at first.

_Why is she here? _

_And why is she crying?_

In my dream, it was because Ian had broken her heart, but that was only a dream.

"What are you doing here?" I spit out, immediately regretting it when she flinches from my words.

"I..I came to apologize..for earlier. That was wrong of me and-" I laugh.

"Yes it was," I interrupt her and she looks like I just punched her in the gut.

"Look, Paul. I'm really sorry! But you can't seriously say that I was the only one who wanted it!" she looks me up and down then looks past me into the room.

"Would you like to come in?" I ask, pretending that she hasn't said anything.

"Sure, but..did you even hear what I said?" I motion for her to come in.

She walks in so she's standing right in front of me. The door swings shut as I turn to the small kitchen.

"Paul? Paul, please! Talk to me!" her voice cracks and I try so hard not to turn around.

"Do you want something to drink?" my back is turned to her, but I can still hear everything she says.

"Paul..please," I take a deep breath as the room goes silent.

The room is silent for a moment.

"You know what? I'm not wrong here. You are, Paul. You're trying so hard to push me away, to prove to me, yourself, and everyone else that you don't feel anything, but you can't. And I don't think you ever will. Look me in the eye and tell me that you feel nothing for me, and I'll leave you alone."

I slowly turn to her and stand there quietly as I look her in the eyes.

I try to gather all the strength I have. I do my best to find all of the things I hate about her, but at that moment, I can't think of a single one.

"I don't want you. I don't have any feelings for you," I choke out.

She shakes her head in protest as she moves closer to me and puts her hands on my face.

My whole body lights up. Every nerve stands on end at her touch, and I'm suddenly a little scared at how close she's gotten to me.

"You're lying," she whispers, stroking my jaw bone with her thumbs.

"N-no. I'm not," I tell her defiantly.

"I know how you feel. I know what you're going through. I don't know how long I tried to fight it before I gave up. Eventually, it was impossible to deny it. You were impossible to deny," she puts her face close to mine and closes her eyes.

Just as I close my eyes, I realize what I'm about to do.

"Nina."

I swallow hard as she ignores me and puts her forehead against mine.

"Nina," I say louder. "Stop it, Nina! Just stop!" I back away from her as my voice echoes across the walls.

"Then tell the truth, Paul!" she screams back at me.

I open my mouth to tell another lie, but something else comes out: the truth.

"Fine. You want the truth?" she nods. "I want you. I want you so badly, and I hate myself for that. No matter how much I try to deny the need for you, or pretend I'm capable without you, or lie about the unstoppable connection I feel when I'm around you, I can't," she looks surprised, but also pleased.

This is definitely the first time I've ever admitted it to anyone, but it's also the first time I've admitted it to myself.

When she turns to leave, I grab her by the wrists. She gasps as I pull her closer and roughly smash my lips to hers.

For a second, just a second, I think of Torrey and how I promised myself I wouldn't hurt her.

I pull away from Nina and look into her eyes, about to tell her I changed my mind.

"Don't," she softly commands.

As I'm about to talk my way out of the situation, she puts her forehead against mine and breathes in deeply before pressing her lips urgently to mine.

I'm instantly overwhelmed by her. I lose myself in Nina and all outside thoughts melt away. My whole body goes numb and I involuntarily push her into a bookcase. Nina giggles as books fall from the top shelf and my hands fall at the shelf behind her head. Her hands grip one of the lower shelves and my eyes scan over her face. She stares back at me and I take in her breathtaking beauty.

When neither of us move for a while, she jerks forward eagerly and I instinctively grab her thighs as they wrap around my waist. Her fingers run through my hair and then she places her hands on my chest as her lips meet my neck. I moan in appreciation and when she giggles into neck, my skin vibrates. She kisses to my jaw bone and then her lips find mine.

"Hi," she whispers into my mouth.

I intend to respond, but our lips have already connected.

I walk tentatively to the bed and lay her softly on it. She springs back up to me and her hands land on my waist as she pulls my shirt up and over my head. I throw my shirt to the floor and begin to unbutton her top. After she slips out of it, we roll over on the bed and she lands on me with a soft thud.

Our chests are pressed together, and I can feel her heart beat radiate through my bones. Her fingers find mine on the mattress, and they intertwine as she presses her lips to my collarbone and kisses down my chest.

I moan through clenched teeth and my fingers tighten around hers. We roll around again and I turn her on her back.

"Hi," I say in between gasps and she bites her lip as I stick my head in the gap between her shoulder and her neck. She shivers when I brush my lips over her ear and swallow hard.

"You make me so.." My voice is raspy.

I leave the thought open-ended, which teases her even more. I can sense her anticipating how I end the sentence.

_She wants to hear you say it._

_She wants you to admit that you feel the same way about each other._

I laugh softly against her neck and place two slow and agonizing kisses just under her ear, and on her shoulder.

"Hot," I graze over her lips as I switch to the other side of her neck. She moans through pursed lips.

She asked for the truth, and she got it.

Everything about her draws me in, begging for more.

It's almost as if the world is ending and everything that is wrong, is right.

* * *

**AN: The truth is revealed ;) so, I know that the two dreams in a row was sort of forced, but I wanted to show that Nina is all Paul thinks about. **

**Paul has confessed his feelings (sort of).. But just because the truth has been admitted, doesn't mean he'll just be okay with it. Remember, this wasn't supposed to happen.**

**Btw, they DID NOT have sex. At least not yet ;)**

**Please rate and review! Thank you for reading :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: This chapter is quite short, so I apologize for that. Once I finish uploading the already written chapters, I'll be sure to make them longer. I know EXACTLY what I want to happen in this story. So that's exciting, haha. **

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

The light seeping through the ceiling-to-floor windows creeps into my thoughts.

I sigh.

Last night I gave into what I want. It felt right, but it's no longer last night. It's the morning, and the moment is gone.

I have no idea how to bring that blissful moment back.

I open my eyes to see my arms empty.

Nina and all remnants of her presence are gone.

A knock on the door shakes me from my slight sadness. I go to answer it. I quickly grab a shirt from the dresser before opening the door.

Ian stands before me with an exasperated expression on his face.

"Hey. Is..is something the matter?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Where's Nina?" he asks, as if he knows the answer.

"I-I don't know," I say shakily.

_It's not a total lie._

I really have no idea where she is now.

"Bullshit," he spits back.

I flinch at his harsh comment, yet motion for him to come in.

"Is this where she's been all night? With you?" he steps through the door and turns to face me.

I sigh as I turn to him.

"Ian. You have to understand something. I didn't ask for this to happen. It was never supposed to happen. I tried to tell her, but she-" he scoffs and then bursts into laughter.

I look at him in complete shock as he regains his control.

"So you're blaming this on her? You're saying she forced you to sleep with her? It was one-sided?" he shouts at me.

"No, of course not. And we never-" I shake my head and try to explain.

"So you did want it to happen?" he questions angrily.

I attempt to swallow and speak, but the right words get caught in my throat.

"Yes. But I tried to fight it. I tried my best to push her away and stop anything from happening. It just..didn't work the way I expected. But we didn't have sex," I blurt out.

He nods and a smile creeps at the corners of his mouth. I raise my eyebrow in his direction.

"You need to wake up, Paul," he simply says.

"Excuse me?"

"You need to wake up and realize that she's just confused. She doesn't want you. She doesn't love you. She was just showing you a good time. And you're delusional if you think otherwise. Wake up," he goes to the door and opens it just before turning back to me. "Wake up," he repeats.

I don't answer. I just stare at him in bewilderment.

"Wake up!" he screams just as I wake up to see Nina next to me, shaking me carefully.

I'm screaming at the top of my lungs. I'm gasping for air. I'm choking on nothing.

I feel like I'm underwater. Scratching the surface, praying that the light saves me from the terror of darkness.

My breathing finally slows as a hand is placed on my face and I look up to see the most beautiful woman in the world. I can see the worry in her eyes and feel the terror radiate from her hand as it trembles against my cheek.

I fall back onto the pillow and close my eyes. She moves her hand from my face and skims my lips with her fingers. I keep my eyes shut and hold my breath in fear that she'll stop.

After a short while, she returns her head back to the space between my neck and my chest, and I breathe in the smell of coconut. Her fingers remain at my lips, grazing them every now and then.

It takes me a second to open my eyes and realize how entwined our bodies truly are. My legs are caught up in hers and most of her body is laying on top of me. The rest of her is in front of me, and she is facing me. My right arm is wrapped tightly around her waist, so I put my left hand on her cheek and run my fingers through her long, chocolate brown hair. I don't realize I'm shaking until she grabs my left hand and intertwines our fingers together. She gives my hand a reassuring squeeze and breathes in deeply.

"Paul," she almost sings my name, and I fail to repress a smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Her lips tickle my skin as she speaks. I shiver.

"Shh. It's okay. Just go back to sleep," I kiss the top of her head.

She nods against my chest and nuzzles deeper into me.

I don't fall back to sleep. I wait until she stops tracing circles with her finger on my chest to make the conclusion that she's asleep. I lay with her in my arms as I think about the dreams. I realize that I'm not shaken up about the possibility of Ian finding out and breaking up with Nina, or even Torrey finding out and breaking up with me.

I'm worried about losing her.

I'm worried that Nina will change her mind.

* * *

As I wake up, I forget that I'm not alone in my bed this morning.

I slightly sit up, doing my best not to wake her up, and smile when I see her still peacefully sleeping. I lean my head down and kiss her forehead before quietly getting up from the bed.

Nina's hand grips my wrist as I'm leaving and she lightly tugs on it to pull me back. I fall on the bed and she giggles into my lips when they meet hers.

"Nina-" I break our lips apart and turn my head away from her. "I-" she cuts me off by turning my head to her again and pressing our lips together. "I have to get a shower," I finally get out, laughing before I kiss her one last time and get up.

She groans in disappointment, though she doesn't stop me.

I go into the bathroom and look into the mirror. I smile, because for the first time in a while, it feels right.

The water that rains down from the shower beats against my chest and I close my eyes to take in the warmth. I hear a muffled noise say something that sounds like my name, so I open my eyes.

When I hear the sound again I raise my eyebrow in question and wait for any hint of who is calling me. While I'm trying to work out who it might be, the bathroom door opens and then closes.

"Nina?" My heartbeat quickens.

"Paul," she whispers frantically.

"What's going on? And why are you whisper-" I begin, but before I can finish, the shower curtain opens and I turn to see Nina standing in the shower beside me.

My eyes go wide when my brain catches up with the situation. I stare nervously into her eyes.

Nina is still wearing her bra and panties.

"Wh-" I start again. She puts her finger to my mouth and looks into my eyes.

"Torrey's here," she mouths.

I raise my eyebrows in shock and freeze. I'm about to question her, but then I hear Torrey's voice booming through the hotel room. I can barely understand her over the pounding of the water (and my heart), but I can still make out a few words.

"Paul! Where..you? Called..no answer..message. Are..okay? Flight..cancelled..leave tomorrow..Paul?"

I notice that Nina's hands are on my chest. Somehow, my brain convinces my body to put my hands on her hips. I stand there silently, biting my bottom lip, resisting the urge to kiss her. Our heads inch closer and our foreheads skim lightly every time one of us moves. I close my eyes, and in a strange way, I can hear her heartbeat clearer than my own.

A smile tears at the corners of my mouth when our chests press together. Our hearts beat in unison, thumping like rabbit feet. I can feel myself about to give in to her as my lips hover over hers.

"Paul, are you in the shower?"

My eyes shoot open when I hear Torrey's voice echo through the bathroom. Nina's eyes burst open too, and we exchange a look of panic. I put my mouth to her ear and swallow.

"Just..stay..quiet."

She nods against my jaw, but I don't move my head from where it is.

"Yeah I'm in the shower, Torrey."

I move my head away from her so I'm not screaming in her ear, but Nina pulls me back.

"Stay," she whispers so low I barely hear her.

There's no need to answer. She knows that I'll stay next to her.

"Oh, well..do you want some company? I need a shower, too," she teases. She walks closer to the shower and takes hold of the the curtain.

I immediately grab the curtain and hold it closed. My heart is beating so fast it could pop out of my chest at any moment.

"Paul? Are you okay?"

"Yes. I-I'm fine. I just..I need to shower alone. I feel..really dirty," I answer. Nina giggles against my cheek.

She stifles her laugh quickly though, so Torrey doesn't notice.

"Oh, alright. I guess I'll see you on set, then," she sighs.

"See you there."

I move my face in front of Nina's and we exchange a smile before our lips meet.

* * *

After we're both positive Torrey is gone, we get out of the shower one after the other. Nina gets out before me and sighs at her now wet undergarments. I step out of the shower in a towel.

"What am I going to do? I don't have another bra or another pair of panties. And I can't wear them we," she whines, looking to me for help.

I laugh and turn to face her.

"Go without them."

"What a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?" she stifles a giggle before turning to me and giving my shoulder a slight shove.

"Hey, I'm here to help," I say. I rub her shoulders and move her hair behind her ears.

I lean in to kiss her and she meets me halfway. Her arms cling to my waist and I place my hands on her face.

"Paul?"

"Hmm?"

"When are we going to tell Ian and Torrey?"

I stop kissing her.

"What?" I pretend I don't hear her.

Because the truth is: I don't want to tell Ian or Torrey.

I don't want to tell anyone.

That may sound really bad, but I mean well. The last thing I want to do is hurt someone.

She gives me a longing and halfhearted smile.

"Now..why on earth would we tell them?"

I connect my lips to her neck.

"Because..we both know that this is what we want. But it still doesn't feel right if we have to-" she doesn't finish her argument, but instead moans as I tease her.

I stop kissing her for a second and, even though she can't see, I raise my eyebrow at her.

"If we have to..what, exactly?"

"Sneak around."

I move my face in front of her and smile.

"You're right," I sigh. "We should tell them."

She nods and gives me a quick peck on the lips.

"Then it's settled," she nods.

"We'll tell them today," I finish her sentence, smiling.

I hand her the discarded top and jeans on the floor, and slip on a new shirt from the dresser next to us. After she gets the clothes on, she puts her hand in mine and smiles.

"Let's go."

We walk outside the hotel hand in hand, but when we get to set, our hands break apart.

* * *

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know, I snuck another dream in there, but I just had to. Paul can't stop thinking about Nina, and then because he's such an amazing human being, he in turn feels bad about his impure thoughts and actions ;) **

**Please rate and review! Thank you for reading :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hi everyone! I'm sorry I sort of took a break from uploading for a while there. I have like seven more days of school left, and my teachers are packing in as many projects and tests as they can. It is literally hell on earth, haha. **

**And don't even get me started on the season four finale of TVD. I'm extremely shaken up by it.**

**Nevertheless, here's chapter five! Oh, and I want to apologize in advance for how short this chapter and the next few chapters are going to be. I sort of got lazy at this point in the story :/**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

"We've been looking everywhere for you two!" Claire runs up to us when she notices us walking onto set.

"It's a good thing you guys are together!" Candice chimes in. She practically skips over to us.

"Yeah..good thing," I say. I glance at Nina for half a second to see a bright smile on her face.

"Right..are you guys okay? You've both been acting a little weird," Claire asks, noticing the tension in the air.

"We're..we're fine," Nina confirms with a smile.

"Never better," I add. I look from Claire to Candice.

I can feel Nina's eyes on me, and I allow myself to smile just a little.

"So..are you guys going to the party?" Candice squeals. A huge smile is plastered across her face.

When I give her a curious look, Claire jumps in, "Candice booked out the new bar in town. The whole cast and crew is going."

I nod and look to Nina for a second.

"Sounds like fun! Except, what's the party for?" Nina questions.

"Just a little celebration for everyone's hard work! I mean, we never hang out outside of set! That's not okay! So we're all going to go to the new bar that probably kicks ass, drink some shots, dance like crazy, and have fun! No excuses!" Candice exclaims. She looks at all of us sternly.

We all nod in understanding. Candice and Claire get called over to do a scene. Nina and I are left alone, so I turn to her and smile.

"You okay?" I ask.

She sighs before looking into my eyes.

"I'm fine."

I nod silently. Then I get lost in her eyes. I think about last night and how we almost crossed a line. We almost went too far. And in that second, I tell myself I won't ever cross that line.

It's too risky.

The second that I completely give in to her, I won't be able to go back. I'll be free-falling. I'll be open to all the ways I could end up hurt. She'll be open to getting hurt, too. And the last thing I want to do is hurt her.

So as I'm looking into those deep, chocolate brown eyes, I make a promise that I'll walk away.

That's the only way to protect her.

* * *

We get to the club and there's already a large crowd of people dancing and drinking.

"Let's take some shots!" Candice exclaims.

She leads us through the dance floor and we end up at a long bar with several people already sitting down. There's a resounding approval that makes it's way around the group. When everyone looks at me for an opinion, I nod silently.

"Woo-hoo! Okay, I'm going to go dance! Claire, Kat, Torrey, to the dance floor!" Candice slams her glass down as they make their way to the crowd.

The rest of the group scatters across the club, and I'm left sitting at the bar with Nina and Ian.

"I'm gonna go find some food. You two want anything while I'm gone?" Ian looks from Nina to me and back again.

I look to the floor and shake my head, and when Ian leaves, I figure Nina also said no.

"Paul?" Nina asks. I raise my eyebrow at her. "Will you dance with me?" she holds out her hand and smiles.

I can't help but smile back.

"I would love to," I clear my throat and plaster a serious look on my face before taking her hand.

_What the hell are you doing?_

She returns the look and drags me to the dance floor. We are careful to stray away from our friends and find a spot deep in the crowd. My heart starts to beat faster as Nina turns her back to me and starts to dance.

Our bodies are pressed together. I freeze.

Then, it's as if my heart takes control. I start to dance with her. We're moving to the music, and I feel like there's nobody else in the room. My hands find her hips, and she puts her hands on mine. I move her hair, and my lips land on her neck. She moans into my cheek and turns around to face me. Her lips find mine and I forget about everything.

I forget about the promise I made to keep her safe.

I forget about Torrey and Ian and how they could get hurt.

I even forget about how I could get hurt.

But the second I remember, I pull my lips off of hers.

"Paul, what's wrong?" she asks, out of breath.

"We can't," I simply say. I take my hands off of her hips and turn to walk away.

"Paul, wait. Will you just..wait? Let's talk about this," she catches my arm and steps in front of me.

I allow myself one last look at her before I turn and leave her on the dance floor.

* * *

I spot Candice, Claire, and Kat in line to get food.

As I walk over to them, I notice Torrey is nowhere in sight.

"Paul! Where have you been?!" Candice shrieks. She pulls me into line with them.

"Um..I was with..Nina. Where's Torrey?" I scan the night club in search of her.

Candice's face drops at the mention of Torrey's name. I give her a questioning look.

"She um..she had to go back to Los Angeles. She left for her flight five minutes ago," Claire sighs.

"But, she told us to tell you that she's sorry and she loves you," Kat smiles genuinely in my direction and gives my hand a squeeze.

"Oh. Alright," I continue to look around the night club, refusing to believe she's gone.

She can't be gone. Not before I could explain what has been going on between Nina and I.

Only, I don't even know what's been going on.

The employee behind the counter hands Candice a tray of food, and Claire hands him some money.

"You should come sit and eat with us! We probably don't have enough food to go around, but you're not terrible company!" Candice winks at me. I let out a slightly forced laugh.

"Here, you can have half of my burrito," Kat offers. She holds out a part of her burrito to me.

"Thanks."

"So.." Candice says in a sing-song voice.

She glances at Claire and Kat and they all giggle.

I raise my eyebrows.

"What's going on between you and Nina?" Claire says a little too loud.

"Claire!" Kat shouts.

"Both of you! Shush! Let him talk!" Candice commands both of them.

I sit in the folding chair in bewilderment. I guess my hidden dirty dance with Nina was a lot dirtier than it was hidden.

"You..you guys saw us.." I stumble on my words.

"Dirty dancing? Oh yes we did," Candice giggles as she puts her chin in her palm and rests her elbow on the table.

"Care to explain?" Claire whispers in her Australian accent.

"Well.."

I look up to see them all staring at me excitedly.

After I finish, I stare nervously at my hands to avoid eye contact with any of them.

"Oh. My. Gosh."

"This is crazy!"

"I saw it coming."

I lift my head up to meet her eyes. Candice and Claire look at her with their mouths hanging open.

"You did not!"

"There's no way you could've seen it coming! I bet they didn't even see it coming!"

She's right. I sure didn't see it coming, and I doubt Nina did.

"Sure I did! I mean..yeah, Nina and Ian are cute and all, they make each other smile, and they can't live without each other. But..Nina is different with Paul. Am I right?" she puts her hand on my arm and smiles.

I look to the floor, smiling.

"Aww!" Claire and Candice chime in.

"But..what about Torrey? Does this mean you guys are getting divorced?" Kat asks.

My smile disappears and a nervous frown replaces it.

"I honestly don't know."

Claire looks around the table at everyone frowning, "Well maybe-"

She's cut off at the sound of glass breaking.

We all turn our heads to the bar. I hear a familiar giggle echo throughout the club.

"Is that.." Candice chokes on her words.

"I'll be right back," I say. I rush over to the bar.

The night club becomes loud again just as I reach her.

People continue dancing, eating, drinking as she turns to me and almost falls over.

She giggles when my hands grip her waist.

"Nice catch," she whispers.

I help her sit back on the bar stool. My hands stay at her waist.

"Another round, please!" she slams her shot glass down on the counter and the bartender fills it up again.

"You're drunk, aren't you?" I ask in a quiet voice.

"Yup. Extremely drunk." she slurs as she knocks back the shot.

She coughs and slams down the glass.

"What are you doing?" I look at her, but she keeps her eyes away from mine.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she plays with the glass in her hand, still avoiding eye contact.

"I can see that your taking shots, Nina. What I mean is..this isn't you," I finally remove my hands from her waist.

"You're preaching to me about pretending to be someone I'm not? Paul, I can't even get you to tell me the truth."

"Nina.."

"Forget it. Let's go dance!" she interrupts me. She grips my hand and jumps from the stool.

"No, Nina. I don't want to dance."

I stay in my stool and wait until she gives up and comes back. She looks at me like I just slapped her. Her eyes start to fill with tears.

"You don't want to dance, you don't want me. What the hell do you want?" she shouts over the music.

I shake my head and look away from her so I don't see her cry.

"You know that's not true."

"Tell me what is true, then," she spits back. She steps in between my parted legs and puts her forehead to mine.

"Nina-" she puts her hands on my chest, and my argument gets caught in my throat.

"How does this make you feel?" she whispers into my mouth.

I can smell the alcohol in her breath.

"Nina, don't," I whisper back.

"Why-" she steps away from me angrily, but ends up falling on a spilled drink.

She falls into someone's arms, and my heart starts again.

"Hey, Ian," she giggles as she shouts into his ear.

* * *

**AN: Oohh, drunk Nina seems fun! Haha :) and if you guys were wondering, Candice, Claire, and Kat are a liiiiittle drunk during their conversation with Paul. They may be very supportive of their friends wishes, but that doesn't mean their supportive of Paul and Nina being together..or does it? ;) **

**Please rate and review! Thank you so much for reading :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Greetings, fellow humans of Earth :) I bring you yet another too-short-to-enjoy chapter. I apologize again for that, but they will get longer soon! And although they've been short lately, I feel that a lot of important stuff happens throughout their shortness. And by the way, if you guys didn't know, (in fact I just now realized this and I have been writing this story for weeks) this story is told day by day. I don't really know why I wrote it like that, but I think it makes things pretty challenging (and I enjoy challenges) to keep a reader interested constantly, while not skipping days or even weeks. It's very Romeo and Juliet-like or Jack and Rose-like because it's only been a few days, haha. But they have known each other closely for two years ar this point, so it's not too big a stretch.**

**Okay, enough babbling. Enjoy :)**

* * *

"She's drunk?" he asks, looking up to me.

I nod. She giggles some more.

"Soo drunk," she shouts again.

"Right," Ian helps her sit back on the stool. "Okay. Let's get you home, clumsy," he laughs as she spins in the stool.

"Go have fun, Ian. I can take her to my place. I'll make sure she's sober by morning."

I help Nina up and smile at Ian.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Oh, alright. I'll see you guys on Monday," he nods at me and kisses Nina on the forehead.

I watch him as he disappears into the crowd on the dance floor.

"C'mon," I pick Nina up and hold her in my arms.

"Where are we going?" she giggles.

I swallow hard and look down at her. She clings to me and nuzzles her face into the space between my neck and my shoulder.

"My place."

I somehow manage to get a cab. I carefully place her in before sitting down next to her. She whines as I give the driver the address, so I pull her closer to me and wrap my arms around her.

"I'm so sorry." She looks up at me.

"For what?" my voice cracks and I place my hand on her cheek.

"Everything." She intertwines our fingers together.

"Don't be."

I brush my fingers through her hair.

"We're here. Pay up," the cab driver interjects dryly.

"Thank you so much."

I smile and hand him a fifty dollar bill.

I pick Nina up and lift her out of the cab. When I place her on the sidewalk, she whines again.

"Carry me." She clings to my bicep.

I can't help but smile as I sweep her into my ams and walk into the hotel lobby.

As I step into the elevator, Nina groans into my chest.

"Paul.."

I look down at her, and it seems like she's almost asleep. Then she opens her eyes and looks up at me.

"Yeah?"

I press the button for the floor and watch the doors close in front of us.

"Have you had sex with Torrey?"

I try to swallow, but I feel like there's something stuck in my throat. She knows the answer, she just wants to hear me say it.

"Yes." I clench my jaw and keep my eyes from meeting hers.

"W-will you..ever have sex with me?"

I can feel her eyes on me as she talks.

"Here we are." The elevator doors open.

"Paul, you didn't answer my-" I put the key into the door and it swings open.

"What would you like to eat?"

"Paul, I don't want any food. I-" she says louder.

I lay her on the bed and walk to the fridge.

"I have turkey, ham, some chicken, a couple slices of pizza." I crouch down to look at the food on the bottom shelf.

"Paul!"

Her voice cracks and she gets up angrily.

"What?" I yell, turning to face her.

She jumps at my outburst, and guilt washes over my face.

"I-I'm sorry. You don't deserve that. And you're drunk, so you probably have a headache. God, I'm so sorry." I hang my head and turn back to the fridge.

"It's okay. I just..I want to know why you're pushing me away," she says gently.

"You like pizza?" I laugh under my breath and turn to see her sitting on a stool at the table next to me.

"Of course," she giggles.

Her hand finds mine underneath the table and my eyes shoot up to hers.

"Are you going to tell me?" she whispers.

I take a piece of pizza out of the box and put it on a plate. She grabs it from the plate and eats it.

"Cold pizza?" I laugh.

She shrugs, and I look at her in hope that she forgot about her request. When she looks to me and raises her eyebrows, I know she hasn't forgotten.

"I can't."

"Can't talk about it?"

"No..I can't..do this anymore."

"Paul. Please, you can't keep lying to yourself about-"

"I'm not lying to myself. I know how much I want you. But I just can't be with you." I interrupt her one last time as I hand her a water bottle and walk to the bathroom.

* * *

Water pours down from the faucet and pounds against my back.

It soothes me, quiets me, but most of all, it helps me to think.

I think about Candice, Claire, and Kat. They were so understanding about my secret rendezvous with Nina and made me feel like I should follow what feels right. Although, God knows whether they were actually sober for that conversation or not.

I think about Ian. He was so oblivious that I was the reason Nina got drunk. He willingly let me take her into my care because he trusts me.

_He trusts a liar._

I think about Torrey. She probably saw Nina and I on the dance floor, and left early without saying goodthat for that same reason.

Finally, I think about Nina. There are so many reasons why I want to be with her, the main being out of the love that I so desperately wish never came to be what it is now.

It's funny how my love for her is also the only reason I can't be with her.

From the silence in the hotel room, I figure Nina is asleep. When I leave the bathroom, I find her passed out on the bed, with the blankets underneath her.

"Nina."

She doesn't budge.

"Come on. Get under the covers."

I pick her up carefully and slide her under the covers. She groans as she opens her eyes to see me walking to the couch.

"Wait."

I stop and turn to her.

"Stay." She holds out her hand to me and smiles slightly.

My legs start to move towards her and my hand takes hers. I slip under the covers next to her, and my arm ends up behind her head.

Our hands never part, so she places her other palm flat on my bare chest.

"Nina..we can't-"

"Can't we just..pretend? Just for now?" she turns her head to look up at me.

Her eyes bore into mine, making every part of me scream to give in.

_But you can't._

"No. We can't." I let go of her hand and turn away from her.

* * *

Two eggs sizzle on the frying pan. I throw the shells away.

I hear her shuffle under the covers, whining against the pillow.

"Good morning," I say with my back still to her.

I search the few drawers in the kitchen, looking for a spatula. She gets out of the bed and shuffles to the counter. I turn and slide the two eggs onto a clean plate and give her a fork. A smile creeps onto my face. She glares at me and then down at the plate.

"What the hell is this?" she says with evident disdain.

"They're eggs. Scrambled to be exact. I thought you would want something to eat," I answer softly.

"Yeah, I can see that. I mean..what are you doing? Ever since the party you've wanted nothing to do with me. Now you're making me breakfast?" she spits back.

I sigh and put my hands on my face.

"I'm being a good friend! I'm not allowed to make my good friend breakfast?" I raise my voice.

"No."

I stare at her in shock, waiting for her to explain.

"Not after what we almost did. You can't just go around and act like nothing happened between us, Paul," she says in disgust.

But there's no mistaking that strong sense of hurt in her tone.

"I'm not acting like nothing happened between us! I'm just..trying to go back to what we had. Is that so bad?" I sit down across from her and look at her in anticipation.

"Yes." she doesn't look up from the plate of eggs, and my throat suddenly feels extremely dry.

So that's how it feels to be told by someone you love that they don't feel the same way.

"Because I don't want to go back. I don't want to forget what has happened these past few days." Her hands touch mine on the counter, and for the first time since I ended things with her, I don't flinch or jerk away.

"You and me-" she massages my palms with her thumbs, "we have a connection."

My gaze never leaves hers, and I can feel tears swelling in my eyes.

"Nina..please don't."

She shakes her head.

"Despite how wrong we both know this is, I also know how much I want to be with you. And you know how big I am on going after what I want," she laughs lightly, but it seems forced.

"Why are you doing this to me?" my voice is shaky and unsure.

She raises her eyebrows and shoots me a face that reads pure confusion.

I get up from the stool and walk further away from her.

* * *

**AN: It's about to get interesting ;) will Paul come clean about his feelings for Nina? Is Ian too clueless to see the intense stares and squirrelly behavior inhabited by our two lovers? And did Torrey see Paul and Nina getting their freak on, or did she leave early for some other reason? So many questions, so little time ;) haha. **

**Please rate and review! Thank you so much for reading :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hello everyone :) so the work overload has finally passed! I only have school field day on Tuesday, and then just a random day on Wednesday left to go! Then I have Graduation on Thursday! I'm so incredibly excited! **

**Anyway, here is chapter 7! I changed the storyline to Nina's perspective sort of half way through, so I'll annotate when that happens. Also, I know that I mentioned how I'm telling this story day-by-day, so that also means each update will more often than not continue directly from the previous one.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

"Doing what?" she turns to me.

I can feel a pull inside of me, insisting I hold her and never let her go.

I ignore it.

"Tempting me. You're giving me every reason why we should give in to what we want and be together, when there are a million other reasons we shouldn't."

"Like what?" she scoffs.

"Well, first of all, Torrey and Ian. And that should go withought saying. Second of all, Candice, Claire, and Kat all saw us dancing at the party. That means Torrey probably saw us, too. And finally, because there's a great chance one of us could end up getting hurt," my voice breaks during my last sentence.

"I don't care about any of that! And I don't think that you do either. So why are you pretending that you do?" her voice escalates as she gets up from the stool.

"Why are you so prepared to go through every possible complication just to be with me?" I yell, although, there's not one part of me that is truly angry. I'm just scared.

"Because I love you, Paul!" she steps closer to me.

I don't say anything. I don't tell her what I know she wants to hear, or what I want to say. I only stare at her, dumbfounded at her confession. When I don't return her words, hurt washes over her face. Tears roll down from her eyes. She wipes them away angrily.

"Why are you trying so hard to push me away?"

_This is it. This is your chance._

"Because I love you, Nina!"

The hurt disappears from her face. Shock replaces it.

"What did you just-" the words get caught in her throat as my lips connect with hers.

The second our lips touch, she becomes a drug to me.

I can't get enough of the taste of her, the smell of her, the feel of her. She detaches our lips to catch her breath, so I move my lips to her neck. Immediately, she moans into my hair and jumps into my arms. Her legs wrap around my waist and she locks them in place; with her heels digging into my back. A low growl escapes my mouth as my hands slip under her (my) shirt and grab hold of her lower back.

"Take it off," she whispers into my hair.

I smile. I move the collar of the shirt to the side and kiss her shoulders and collar bone before stripping her of it completely. As I throw the shirt to the floor, I feel her hands on the hem of my own shirt, desperately trying to pull it off of me. I lift my arms above my head to help her out. She giggles into my mouth while she throws it to the floor. I walk to the bed with her in my arms and we fall together, our bodies never seperating. She pushes me off of her, only to roll over on top of me. Her hands fall on the bed next to my face and she leans her mouth down to my ear.

"I-" her lips caress the tender skin just under my ear and fall on my neck as she draws me in with her voice. "Love you-" she continues. Her lips are now on my collar bone, traveling down my chest. "So much," she finishes. Her mouth reaches my stomach and her fingers start to work on unzipping my jeans. I moan in delight as I slip off her (my) sweat pants. I roll her over and pin her wrists to the bed.

"I love you more." I look into her beautiful, brown eyes.

The eyes that I fell in love with two years ago, and love all the same today.

* * *

It happened.

I gave into her.

_There's no going back now. _

I'm officially addicted to the way her heart always beats in unison with mine as our chests press together. The way she giggles when I kiss her neck. The way our fingers intertwine, and rarely ever separate.

When I'm with her, I completely forget that I'm married to Torrey, and she's dating Ian. I brush away the possibility of her changing her mind, because now, I know how she feels.

A groan leaves my mouth. I lift my head to look at the clock on the nightstand.

Sunday, 6:00 A.M. We slept through Saturday.

"Paul.." I hear a whisper and feel lips moving against my bare chest.

"Shh.." I look down at her laying completely on top of me, and rub her back with the hand that isn't connected to hers. "Go back to sleep." I give her fragile hand a light squeeze and rub my thumb gently across her palm. She groans. She removes her free hand from my chest and rubs her forehead in distress.

"What day is it?"

I laugh quietly and kiss her hair.

"It's Sunday. We kind of slept through Saturday."

"Understandable. I was exhausted after we.." she trails off and looks up at me, smiling.

"Yeah. Me too." I lean down to kiss her.

When our lips connect, her body shifts so that we are turned towards each other. Our chests rise and fall together and I can feel her smiling against my mouth. My heartbeat quickens. Our kiss deepens. My hands wrap around her waist and pull her tighter to my body, causing a moan to escape her mouth. She breaks the kiss and looks into my eyes.

"I love you, Paul," she says under her breath.

Before I answer, her lips land on my neck and her hands find mine on the bed. Our fingers intertwine as her mouth moves down my collar bone, to my chest, and back up again. I moan, urging her to continue as I dig my head deeper into the pillow.

"I love you, Nina." Her head falls with a soft thud onto my chest.

"What did you say?"

_Hilarious._

I barely choke out a laugh, and she giggles, vibrating on top of me. I cup her face with my palms and bring her face to mine.

"I love you. I love you. I love you."

Our noses touch, and I close my eyes. I wish that I could freeze this moment forever. She connects her lips to mine.

* * *

**Nina's Perspective**

His arms are around me. His hands are gripping my hips tightly. His fingers are gently massaging my stomach. He's whispering sweet nothings into my ear.

Then suddenly, his warmth is gone, the place where he laid, empty.

My eyes shoot open in panic and dart around the hotel room in search of him.

_He couldn't have left._

_He wouldn't do that, not after.._

My heart begins to race when I see his discarded clothes are gone.

_Snap out of it, Nina. __He said he loves you_. _Why would he sneak out of his own hotel room, anyway? _

While I'm having my internal struggle, I hear the sound of pounding water coming from the bathroom, indicating he's taking a shower.

_Well, that's a relief._

A sly grin creeps onto my face as I get up from the bed.

He probably doesn't expect me to be awake yet. He got into the shower confident that I wouldn't be awake for a while. He wanted to let me sleep so he could shower alone. That polite jerk.

I step quickly towards the door and suppress a giggle before opening it stepping inside. Clearing my throat, I stand in front of the shower curtain and put my hands on my hips.

"Paul?" I do my best to imitate an irritated Torrey.

I see Paul's silhouette freeze through the curtain and he stops shampooing his hair.

"Torrey..?" he questions in a strained tone.

"I came by to see why the hell you haven't called me back. Then I get here and I see Nina sleeping in your bed. Paul, what the hell is going on here?" I screech.

Not bad for an imitation.

He turns off the water and I hear him swallow uncomfortably.

"Torrey. I-I c-can e-explain," he stutters.

A giggle nearly escapes my mouth, but I hush myself.

He's so adorable when he's nervous.

His hand reaches out from the curtain and grabs a towel on the rack next to the shower.

I resist the urge to laugh out loud. I wonder what he'll do when he sees me standing there.

The shower curtain opens and I gasp a little.

Damn. I mean, I've seen him shirtless before. But not like this. His skin is still wet, there are beads of water dribbling down his chest, and the towel is hanging low on his hips.

"Torrey, just listen to me. Give me time to explain before you-" his worry is gone in an instant when he sees me standing there.

I snap out of my daze from his words and giggle before rushing out the door.

He laughs back, and reaches to catch my arm. I slip away and he groans.

"Nina!" he shouts. He ends up laughing instead of sounding irritated. "Come here!" he catches up to me.

I yelp as his hands wrap around my waist and hold me tightly, yet somehow, gently as well.

"Gotcha."

His hands pull me closer to his body.

"Say you're sorry."

I giggle while I move and squirm, but to no avail. I know he's much stronger than me, but it's worth the try. It's worth it to have my dry and clothed body rub against his wet and bare body.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please, you're getting my shirt wet!"

"Actually, that's my shirt," he laughs softly into my ear and skims his nose up and down my neck.

Thinking he's forgiven me, I lean into his touch and close my eyes. I get lost in him, only to find him burying his wet hair into the space between my neck and my shoulder, causing drops of water to cover my once dry skin.

"Hey! Paul, c'mon! Don't!" I try to be serious as I push away from him, but when our eyes meet, I smile at him.

"But, I love you. I love you so much, I'm willing to share my shower water with you." he pouts. The pout is replaced by a slight smirk as he shakes his wet hair in my direction, and water flies all over me.

My giggles become less controlled as he entraps me in a huge hug and presses his still dripping body against me.

* * *

**AN: What would you do if Paul Wesley was in a towel, still dripping wet from a shower, and standing right in front of you? ;)**

**I hope you guys like Nina's point of view, because the story continues in her perspective for quite a while. **

**Please leave reviews! Thank you so much for reading :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hello again, everyone :) it's extremely late at night where I live, and I'm quite tired. So I thought I would upload chapter 8 before I hit the hay. **

**This continues right from where chapter 7 stopped. **

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

"Well, I'm glad you're so willing to share your shower water with me. But I would like it better if you would share it with me in the actual shower," I huff.

He arches his eyebrows in confusion, but smiles all the same.

"I didn't want to wake you," he says, answering my question that was never asked.

Now it's my turn to be confused. He should know that I would gladly miss some sleep to spend more time with him. I mean, who the hell wouldn't? He nods, letting me know he understands my slight resentment of him letting me sleep.

"You just..look so beautiful."

Pure joy spreads across my face.

_Look_. Not looked.

He thinks I _look_ beautiful.

"Plus, I wanted to make sure you got plenty of sleep." He doesn't break my gaze, and he doesn't seem to be as affected by it as I am. Though, I somehow know he is.

He clears his throat and turns back around to his dresser to open the top drawer. He pulls out a black v-neck and dries his torso one last time with a towel before slipping the shirt on over his body.

_Darn. _

He looks over at me from the corner of his eye when he hears me sigh. He ignores the look in my eye.

"For our date tonight."

I fail to look unfazed.

"What did you just say?"

"A date. You. Me. And a lot of fun." He steps closer to me and reaches down to button his jeans over the boxers I didn't even know he had on.

A bright smile appears on my face. I stare into his deep, moss green eyes. The same eyes that won me over two years ago.

"Sounds like..fun," I answer. I hook my fingers in the belt loops of his jeans, and pull him closer to me.

His hands land at their secomd home on my hips. Our foreheads press together and our noses touch. His hands wander from my hips to my lower back and bring me closer to his body.

"I'll pick you up at 5:00."

I crease my forehead.

"Why so early?"

"You'll see." He smiles against my cheek before kissing it softly. He bends over to pick up my discarded clothes and then stands in front of me, holding them. "I'll see you tonight." He leans down and gives me a quick kiss. It is nowhere near satisfying, but it'll have to do for now.

As I walk to the door, he follows me with his hand in mine.

"Goodbye, Paul."

"Goodbye, Nina." He kisses my hand.

"Oh, by the way. What am I supposed to wear?"

He thinks for a couple seconds. A smirk takes over his face.

"Something comfortable," he finally answers. He smiles warmly at me before I walk away and he closes the door.

* * *

"You're doing what now?" she makes her disapproval known.

I cringe at her uproar, but don't lose my poker face. I smile and nod.

"I'm going on a date with Paul," I repeat with a genuine smile.

"Nina, you can't! You-what about Ian? And Torrey? For goodness sake, you're both in relationships!" Candice squeals.

Candice is the sweetest, most supportive, optimistic person I know. But I in no way expect her to be okay with Paul and me. She's a very good person. And as much as I hate to admit it, whatever is going on between Paul and me is definitely anything but good for everyone.

"I know, Candice. Trust me, I know how wrong it is. But it feels right! It's not like I just started to have these feelings for him. It's that I just now started to do something about them."

"But Nina-it's just..he's MARRIED," she whispers _married _like she's a little girl saying something dirty.

She shivers. I know she's only trying to exaggerate.

"I tried.." I trail off, not actually knowing how to explain to her my feelings for Paul.

"You tried to..what?" she urges me on. She walks over to the fridge and pulls out a water bottle.

"To not want him. I wanted to convince myself that I don't want to be with him. I tried so hard not to love him, but I just..I could only fight it for so long." I fumble with some papers on the counter. After a short silence, I look up to a beaming Candice.

"Well, you should have said that to begin with! No wonder you guys have so much chemistry on and off set!" she shrieks.

She won't stop smiling as she unscrews the lid from the water bottle.

"So..what are you going to wear?" She grips my arm.

At least she approves. Otherwise, she wouldn't be in date-expert mode. I smile down at the floor and think for a second.

What am I going to wear?

Paul never told me where we're going.

When she sees the unsure look in my eyes, she pouts.

"Well, where is he taking you?"

I shrug. Candice blows up.

"How the hell do you not know? Do you guys do _anything_ other than each other?!" she throws her hands in the air, and to slams them back down on the counter as she groans.

My jaw drops and I give her shoulder a hard shove.

"Hey! It's not like that!"

It's not a total lie.

Candice still hasn't stopped laughing. Yet, that doesn't stop her from continuing the conversation.

"Nina, please. I saw you two on the dance floor at the party. It's not like he took you to his place and you guys played solitaire for hours." She gives me a knowing glance before walking to my closet.

I open my mouth to argue. I close it just as quickly.

She's so right it's annoying. And as happy as I am that Paul admitted to his feelings, I can't help feeling like I pressured him.

"So, what DID he tell you about this date?"

"He said that he'll pick me up at 5:00, that it'll be fun, and that I should wear something comfortable."

An irritated sigh escapes her mouth.

"That's it? Are you sure he's not just going to take you back to his place?" Candice speaks into my closet and ignores me as I walk over to her and shove her a little lighter.

"Yes, I'm sure," I giggle before joining her in the hunt for my outfit.

"How about this?" she holds up a pair of shorts and a dark blue blouse.

I smile and nod profusely.

"It's perfect." My response earn a giggle from Candice. She hands me the clothes to put on.

I walk towards the bathroom with a smile on my face. Maybe Candice really is happy for Paul and me. Maybe she can see past the fact that we aren't being honest to Torrey and Ian, because it's so obvious how happy I am.

"Hey, Nina?" I hear her call to me as I'm entering the bathroom.

Or maybe not.

I freeze and turn slowly on my heels.

"Hm?"

"Just..tell Ian..soon. And..make sure that Paul talks to Torrey," she smiles halfheartedly, "because she saw you two dancing."

* * *

Torrey knows.

She saw us dancing at the club. She left early because she couldn't face Paul after she caught him..cheating on her..with me.

I stand on the steps outside my apartment and shiver.

I should've told Ian the second things between Paul and I started getting serious. I shouldn't have pressured Paul into exploring deeper into what his feelings for me could mean. But most of all, I should've worn a jacket.

Just as I'm about to turn back into the door and grab one, I hear an ear-piercing engine come to a halt in front of my apartment.

"Hey, stranger."

A wide smile takes over my face and I turn around to see him smiling back at me. I run as fast as I can down the concrete stairs and jump into his embrace.

"Hey."

He kisses my hair and holds me tight. My arms tighten around his neck and I pray that he never lets go. But of course, he has to sooner or later. His hands find mine, though, and he squeezes gently.

"You look..beautiful." He places his forehead against mine.

Our lips meet, and my worries disappear.

For a second, I forget about what Candice told me, and about the possibility of losing him. I giggle into his mouth before detaching our lips and pointing to the motorcycle.

"Is this yours?"

He nods proudly and hands me the only helmet. I bite my lip in discomfort and open my mouth to decline.

"Don't even try to fight me on this, Nina," he laughs, but I know he's totally serious.

I reluctantly slip on the helmet and wait for him to hop on the motorcycle. Once he does, I sit down behind him and press myself against his back. My arms wrap around his waist and I pull myself close to him. I rest my chin on his shoulder and jump a little when the engine roars to life.

"Have you ever rode a motorcycle?" he shouts above the engine.

"Nope. Never," I say a little quieter, since I'm right next to his ear.

"Well, then hold on tight to me," he releases the kickstand and pushes off of the ground.

As he drives into the street. I do as he says by tightening my grip around his waist and pressing my chest against his back more.

He doesn't have to tell me twice.

* * *

**AN: I was inspired by the Stelena scene in 4x03 where Stefan takes her on his motorcycle to get her mind off of her hatred for Rebekah. I just had to have them share that moment. And also, Paul has said how he really does ride motorcycles and has his own, so it was basically fate ;)**

**Please review! Thank you so much for reading :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hello again :) this chapter is much longer than the previous, so that's good. This is one of my favorite chapters so far, because it's the beginning to their date. **

**I'm almost finished updating this story to the point where it'll be brand new. So that's exciting, haha.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

We're riding.

Wind blows hard against my face, but I don't complain.

I feel free.

I can feel his rock-hard body flexing underneath my forearms as he tightens and loosens his grip on the handles. I reluctantly close my eyes so that I can bury my face into his jacket. His scent registers in my nose, and I eagerly invite it in by breathing deeply. Out of nowhere, a chill runs down my spine and I shiver. I can tell he notices, but doesn't take his eyes off of the road. My mind goes blank. I block out all other sounds and smells and only pay attention to him. He is my escape, and for a second, I don't care who sees us together.

I just want him forever and always.

He takes an abrupt right turn and my eyes shoot open. I take in all the sights, smells, and sounds of our date venue. There are people running around everywhere, flowing from one spot to the next. Popcorn and hotdogs are the main things I smell, though the scent of soft pretzels and nachos are also strong. I hear shouts and laughs echo from every direction as Paul's bike comes to a slow stop in the street. He turns to me, my mouth gaping wide open, scanning our surroundings.

A light laugh wakes me from my daze. I look to see him still laughing. Without thinking, I rise from the bike and hop to the ground. He follows my lead, and when we are both standing, I look into his deep green eyes.

Right away, I miss the connection we had on his bike. I miss my arms around his waist, and our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces. The warmth that I got from his body is gone, and I'm left cold inside.

"Are you..disappointed?" I can see his face fall out of the corner of my eye, but I stay quiet. "We can go somewhere else if you want," his disappointment breaks my heart.

"Are you kidding? I love carnivals," I answer with a nudge to his side.

He puts the helmet down on the seat of his bike and brings his hands to my face. His thumbs rub small circles on my cheeks. I stare into his eyes.

"And I love you," he says. He brings my lips to his in one swift move.

I giggle into his mouth and gently push his chest away from mine.

"I love you too, Paul. But, I don't think we should really be doing that kind of thing in public. What if Ian is here and sees us?" I quickly look to the entrance of the carnival, expecting Ian to come barreling towards us any moment.

He nods in agreement, and starts to turn away from me, but then he turns back around and lifts me up off of the ground into his arms. He twirls me around and I giggle uncontrollably.

"Ian who?" He lands a soft peck on my cheek.

"I'm serious!" I whisper back, trying to sound serious. My giggles aren't making my case very convincing.

"I am too." He twirls me around again and my hands move from his chest to the back of his neck as my fingers play with the ends of his hair. "Nina, you're the one who told me to realize that I don't have to pretend anymore. You helped me see that my feelings for you shouldn't be kept in a box because I'm scared of how much I want you." He places his forehead to mine and smiles. Oh, God, I love his smile. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?" He smirks. I can tell he's only teasing, but I sense a hint of worry in his question.

"Of course not. There's nowhere I would rather be on this beautiful, yet cold, Sunday evening than here in your arms."

My lips find his and he smiles into my mouth. He lets me down from his embrace, and I groan, and he laughs at my disapproval.

"Now.." He clears his throat. "Shall we?" He holds out his hand to me and gives me a serious look that he's so obviously faking.

"We shall." I return the gesture and take his hand in mine. We walk to the front gate of the carnival.

"So, how did you think of this place?" I ask. I glance at him as we pass through the entrance.

"I did my research," he answers with a light laugh.

"Oh, did you now?" I tease, and bump him with my elbow. He laughs. "And what makes me so worthy of such research?" I raise an eyebrow at him, but look straight ahead of us.

"The fact that I love you so much I want to scream."

I stop walking for a momen. My forehead scrunches in a questioning manner.

"Is that a good thing?"

"Absolutely." He gives my hand a quick squeeze and leans in to kiss my cheek. "So, I suggest we play some games first," I smile and nod. "But..just so you know, I'll kick your ass in the ring toss," he says with a cocky grin.

"Oh, will you now?" I scoff. "We'll just have to see about that."

I giggle as I wrap my arms around his waist and point my finger at his chest.

"Bring it on, Dobrev," he banters. He grips my waist and pulls me closer to him.

We don't talk the rest of the way to the ring toss booth. Our hands are tightly intertwined and our bodies are close. To random bystanders, we look like a normal, happy couple.

If only it were that simple. If only we could do what we're doing without our hands shaking in fear of someone recognizing us.

"Ten dollars worth please," Paul says. He hands a man two five dollar bills.

The man smiles and hands Paul some plastic rings. He hands half off to me.

* * *

Rings are flying everywhere.

There are several kids playing alongside us, and they're all failing miserably. I'm down to my last two rings. I throw the first one, and it bounces right off of a bottle in the front and flies off in another direction. I let out an frustrated groan just as Paul throws his last ring.

I count all of wins: 14 bottles with 15 rings.

He laughs and smiles at me.

"It's not funny!" I bump him in the side with my hips, intending to catch him off balance, but his ever-so-suave hands fly to my waist and pull me closer.

"It's hilarious," he teases into my ear.

I jab him in the stomach with my elbow, but he doesn't flinch.

Damn him and his rock hard abs.

"Here." His hands wander to mine which are placed on my hips, and he intertwines our fingers. "Just aim." He lifts our linked arms and points to a bottle without a ring on it. "And release." His hot, raspy voice is shaky in my ear, and all I want to do is turn around and kiss him. He directs my hand to release the ring, and as it escapes my hold, it catches the edge of a bottle before stopping completely around it.

His hands lead mine back to my waist, and they rest there leisurely.

"How did you do that?"

My face is inches from his. If I were to move even a little, our lips would meet.

"Pick any one of the prizes on the top shelf," the man's voice shakes me from my trance. I look up to his expectant face on us.

I know he's talking to Paul. I mean, I only got a ring around one freaking bottle. Still, Paul takes a polite step away from me, and urges me to make a choice. My eyes wander around the prize shelves in search of something that sticks out to me. My face forms a bright smile when I spy a small cheetah on the shelf below where the man told me I could pick. I point it out, he nonchalantly hands it over to me, and wishes us a fun evening. Paul gives me a slight smile as he kisses my forehead and wraps his arm around my waist. My head rests on his chest and I breathe in his minty scent.

I know I'm smiling like an idiot, but I don't even care.

He's my bliss.

His lips caress my ear and tickle it as he speaks.

"Are you hungry?" his voice breaks at the end, sending a chill down my spine.

I turn my head to his and our lips almost touch.

"Very," I whisper back into his mouth.

* * *

"So, Paul."

I turn to him and smile as we walk to a bench with our food. He smiles and holds out his free hand for me to take.

"So, Nina," he says. I take the offering.

"I had no idea you were so good at carnival games. Things like ring toss are usually impossible."

He doesn't answer for a while. His lips curve into a wide smile as we sit down and he decides to answer.

"I used to go to the boardwalk back in Jersey every weekend with my sisters. We would make bets on games like ring toss." He waves his hand in reference to the booth we came from. "It was either get good at carnival games or lose all my allowance." He laughs at the memory.

I can tell he misses his family. We all do. With all the work we do, it's difficult not to get homesick. But because of how close we've all gotten to each other, it makes our time away from our families less painful. The whole cast is like my second family.

"Well, do you?" his voice shakes me awake, but I didn't hear the question.

"Do I what?" I bite my lip in embarrassment.

_You should have been listening, Nina,_ I say to myself.

He doesn't seem to mind that I zoned out. Instead, he laughs. I take a nervous bite of my hot dog.

"I asked if you would like to come to Jersey with me this summer."

Sometimes I wonder if things would be different than they are today if I would have told Paul how I felt when I first met him.

Would we be married by now?

Would we have lasted this long?

I've never been able to truly answer those questions. Because, truth be told, I'll never know. I can't go back in time and stop Paul on his way out of the audition room. I can't give him my number and tell him he has beautiful eyes when I catch up with him.

I'm not going to dwell on these things, because the more that I do, the more I mentally kick myself for letting him slip through my fingers and get married to someone else.

It should have been me to marry him a few months ago.

I frown, and let that answer his question. He only nods and looks away from me.

Why do I keep doing this to him? And to myself?

We both know that we want each other, so why do we insist on pushing the other away, out of protection?

And who are we trying so desperately to protect, anyway?

"Hey." I pull his face to meet mine. I can see the hurt in his eyes. I did this to him. I forced him to take his walls down and let me in, only to double cross him and break him down from the inside out. "I'm sorry."

It's a fairly vague apology, but hey, I have a hell of a lot to apologize for.

His smile reappears. He pulls me closer to him.

"It's okay. I could always kidnap you." He brings his face right in front of mine so our lips almost touch.

* * *

**AN: They are so adorable :)**

**Aw, Nina. Why did you turn down Paul's offer? You guys are obviously perfect for each other ;) **

**And Paul, quit being amazing at everything. You're better than all of us.**

**Please review! Thank you so much for reading :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hello everyone! Happy Memorial Day to my fellow Americans! And to those who don't celebrate Memorial Day, happy Monday :) **

**This is a continuation of their date, and let me just say that they are quite adorable. **

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Just as my lips skim his, I bring my hand up to his face and smear ketchup all over his cheek with my fingers. I fall into a fit of giggles and jump up from the bench.

Bitch move? Possibly.

Should I have done it? Most likely not.

Do I regret doing it? Hell no.

He closes his eyes in frustration, but a smile is present on his perfect face. He slowly gets up as he takes a napkin and wipes the ketchup off of his face. When he takes a step towards me, I take a step back.

"Oh, you're gonna get it!" he pounces at me, and I run away from him.

"You'll have to catch me first!" he chases me around the bench and I laugh.

I laugh because he can't catch me.

I laugh because it seems impossible to stop.

I laugh because he laughs.

Paul stops as if he's given up, but then he turns the other way when I'm not paying attention, and picks me up by my legs. A high pitched squeal escapes my lips. Paul just laughs harder.

"Let me go, let me go! I'll do anything!" I pound my fists against his solid back.

"Say you're sorry," he comands. He lets me down, though he still holds me close.

I pout. "No."

His lips find mine. Probably intending to deepen the kiss, he takes a step back and lifts me up. He slips and falls on the ground. He pulls me with him, and I land with a soft thud on his chest.

"Say you're sorry," he repeats.

He grazes my waist with his fingers.

"Never." I connect my lips to his.

He shrugs underneath me and smiles through our kiss.

"Okay, just remember that you asked for it." He starts to tickle me.

My insides flip and twist as his fingers dance against my waist. Damn him. He knows how tickleish I am. I toss and turn, nearly in tears from the laughter.

"Stop! Please, please, please, just..stop! Okay, okay! Alright, I'm sorry!"

"That's what I thought." He picks me up, gets up from the ground, and kisses me on the cheek.

The sun is starting to set. Reality is coming back to wash over the dreamlike day that we have experienced. I want it to last forever. I want to stay in his arms for the rest of eternity. And as cheesy as that may sound, it's the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

I'm addicted to the way his fingers massage mine when they are intertwined. I'm addicted to the way he has the power to light up a room with his jokes, yet bring it to tears with his beautiful intensity.

He makes me feel like I'm a teenager again. I continue to fall completely and undeniably in love with him every second.

The one thought going through my mind as we walk, hand in hand, around the dimming carnival is that, if this ends the way I know it will, I just mind end as well.

"The sky is beautiful." I stare out into the distance.

Will he be able to see through me into what I'm actually thinking?

Would I mind if he could?

Why is he so quiet?

I turn my head to look at him, only to realize he's been staring at me this whole time.

"What?" I search his face in fear of what this blank expression could mean.

He shakes his head with a smile.

"You think so?" He looks up at the sky and squints his eyes at the fading sunlight.

I look back at the sky.

"Absolutely." I can tell he has an idea. My answer only sweetens the deal.

* * *

He pulls me through the nearly empty carnival. He's obviously trying to get somewhere, and fast. My mind races as I try to figure out where we're going.

"Paul, where in the world are you taking me? I need to get home! It's getting really late and-" he stops abruptly in front of the Ferris wheel. I bump into his side.

A smile crosses my face as I look up at the humongous ride. It disappears just as quickly when I remember the carnival is closed.

Paul's determination doesn't falter.

He looks around frantically and smiles when he finds what he's looking for. His hand finds mine again and he dashes to a set of cement stairs leading to a nearby building, with me in tow. A rusty fire escape hangs on the side of the building, hovering over the top stair.

What is he thinking? There's no way in hell I'm climbing up that fire escape. If I fall and get hurt, Kevin and Julie will wring my neck.

He pulls me up the steps and, lets go of my hand, and grabs hold of the fire escape. His muscles flex as he tightens his grip and pulls himself onto the first landing. A high-pitched yelp escapes my throat. He stands up and turns back to me. There's a winning smile on his face, though, and just that calms me a bit. He reaches his strong arms out to me. He smiles even wider. I shake my head defiantly.

"There's no way!" His face forms into a frown.

"You don't trust me?" The side of his face twitches with..hurt?

Maybe annoyance?

Either way, he doesn't approve of my worry.

"Of course I do. I just..you know I'm a klutz!"

His hands don't fall back to his sides. He stares at me expectantly and raises his eyebrows.

"I would never let you fall, Nina." His lips are drawn out into a tight line.

Every inch of his face is coated in a thick layer of seriousness. I find myself nodding and reaching out to him. He squats down closer to me and his arms wrap protectively around my small waist.

* * *

When I was ten years old, my brother took me to the neighborhood park for the first time. Our mom had told him to make sure nothing bad happened to me. He was my protector from the older kids. He was my older brother, my hero, and I trusted him with as much as a ten year old could instill upon someone. I was beyond excited to spend time with my brother.

Being the little monkey that I was, I told my brother I could climb on top of the playground without his help. He bet me I couldn't.

I did it effortlessly.

As I cherished in the view over the entire park, I realized that I had no idea how to get back down. I looked to my brother in panic. He screamed up to me that he would get me down. He rounded the playground and stood underneath my dangling feet.

_"Just inch your way down, Nina,_" he comforted me.

_"I can't do it! I'm gonna fall! You know I'm a klutz!"_

Despite my ease at climbing, my downwards footing isn't too graceful.

_"I would never let you fall, Nina. Trust me." _

So I did.

I inched my way down and jumped, falling safely into my brother's arms. To be honest, there were two parts of me at that point in time. There was the part that wanted to sit there and bawl my eyes out. Then there was the part of me that knew I was safe in his arms.

Flash forward to more than a decade later. I'm being lifted onto a fire escape by the man that I love, because I trust him with every part of my being. There's still that silent part of me that's screaming to not go with him, but my new twenty-three-year-old vocabulary tells it to shut the fuck up.

"Close your eyes," he instructs me. I feel the fire escape platform underneath my feet.

"But-" His finger finds my lips, shushing me.

"Trust me."

I can practically hear the smile in his voice. I nod, and do as I'm told.

* * *

Having no sense of direction while running along a fire escape of a tall building, is one of the scariest things you will ever experience. No lie.

My heart is racing at our increased pace and, out of sudden fear, I squeeze Paul's hand.

"Come on! We're almost there!"

I wish I could see his face. His beautiful face is the only thing that could calm me down right about now.

"Paul, this has to be illegal or something! What's so important that you have to go to all this-" We abruptly stop. I bump into his hard side.

"Open your eyes." He squeezes my hand and moves behind me.

I open my eyes. I gasp.

What I see when my eyelids flutter open causes my jaw to drop. I see orange, red, pink, green, yellow. They all dance around each other in the sky and play on the other perfectly. Of course, I've seen a sunset before, but there was something different about this one in particular.

"Paul.." His lips on my ear surprise me. I shiver at his touch.

"I know." He grabs my hands and intertwines our fingers over my waist.

I lean into him and moan when he grazes his lips over my neck. I don't need to tell him how beautiful the sight in front of me is. This is why he brought me up here. He wanted to share this beauty with me.

"I love you," he murmurs into my neck. My insides churn and twist.

"I love you too." I arch my back against him so he has a better angle of my neck. "Will you promise me something?"

He nods in between kisses.

"Anything."

I swallow.

What I'm about to say is so selfish, I can barely think about it without feeling guilty.

"Never leave me. I don't ever want this to end."

As soon as I say it, I wish I could take it back.

He stiffens slightly against my back, but regains his composure.

"I will never leave you, Nina."

* * *

**AN: Hm, do you think Paul will be able to keep his promise? Or are all promises broken eventually? **

**Okay, let's just take a moment to appreciate how perfect these two love birds are ;)**

**Please review! Thank you so much for reading :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hello everyone :) so I was reading through the previous chapters of this story and I realized how many mistakes and typos I have made. I'm so sorry for that. I'm quite the perfectionist, so I know how irritating it is when someone doesn't have proper grammar and there are several typos in any form of writing. I'll make sure to prevent that from happening again. **

**So I'm going to be completely honest, this chapter gets somewhat M rated. I'll annotate it just in case you prefer to read the more T rated story line.**

**Also, as I said previously, this story was already written up until this point. Well from now on, this story will be new to everyone, including me.**

**Finally, I'm so sorry for not updating in a while. I'm on summer vacation now, so expect updates to be longer. And more frequent..I hope.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

We walk back to his bike silently.

His hand is in my hand, our bodies brush every once in a while. He breaks the silence.

"So, where are you planning on going this summer?" his voice is distant, and the question almost seems forced. When I don't answer, he continues, "Since, you know, you're too good for New Jersey."

My head snaps up to see him trying to keep a straight face. I push him away from me, but I still smile at his teasing. His arms go around my waist as he tries to pull me back in to his embrace.

"Kidding," he mumbles into my neck. He kisses down my skin.

A gasp escapes my throat. I shiver at his fingers slipping underneath my shirt. He starts to draw shapes on my bare back. We stumble to the side of a building. All of a sudden, my back is hitting the solid concrete with a light thud. I grip the collar of his jacket and pull his body to mine. My right leg wraps around his waist and draws him in closer. He practically growls into my mouth as he pushes his chest into mine. I feel his fingers wandering down my body. They land at my waist, then even lower to the inside of my thighs. I open my eyes briefly when he kisses down my collarbone to my chest. He unbuttons the first button of my shirt to gently nuzzle my breasts. The moan that escapes under heavy breathing seems to have come from me, and I push my hips harder to his.

I want him now.

Right here, against the side of what I'm pretty sure is a coffee shop.

My mind is caught up with my body. I know he's thinking the same thing. It's incredibly erotic, possibly even crazy. But I don't care. Paul's body thrusts into mine, indicating he agrees. My hands slip up his shirt to trace the outlines of his muscular chest. Right before my eyes flutter closed, I look over Paul's shoulder, and it catches my eye.

Or better yet, the lack of it.

My hands freeze on his chest. I slip them out from under his shirt.

"Paul.." I breathe out in a whisper.

He moves his face in front of mine and looks into my eyes. I keep my gaze on his bike, or at least, where it was. He turns to look in the same direction as me. His hands release the hold they have on my inner thighs.

"Huh." He scratches the back of his head and stares at the spot where he parked his bike. "It's okay..that's okay," he says in the direction of his missing bike.

"What the-how the hell is it okay? Someone stole your bike!" I raise my eyebrows at his back.

It also could have been towed, but that's beside the point.

"Because I have a better idea." I can hear the smile in his voice.

I'm so glad he's not looking at me right now.

If he smiles at me, I'll believe anything he says.

And right about now, he's sounding quite insane.

Though, I am feeling pretty insane as well due to our abruptly interrupted moment.

"Really? And what might that be?" I ask.

I'm still trying to catch my breath. For some reason, he doesn't seem all that mad. I would be pissed if someone stole my motorcycle.

That is, if I even had one.

"Plan B," he breathes out and bends over. "Get on." His back is still facing me. He slightly turns his head to look at me.

God, he's perfect.

I find myself staring at his ass.

_Nina, he's talking to you. Snap out of your horny haze_, I tell myself.

Sexual thoughts aside, I jump on his back and sling my arms around his neck. I feel his fingers grip my thighs and pull me tighter to his back.

"Giddy up," I tease into his ear, before kissing down his neck.

He does his best to cover up a moan by coughing, but he ends up growling, and sounding even more turned on.

"Can you hold off on that until we get to your place? I wouldn't want my legs to give out on me in the middle of the street," he huffs out a very forced, and solely for my safety, disagreement.

"With pleasure." I nibble on his ear to tease him one last time.

I'm positive he'll get me back for that one, but hey, it's not like I won't enjoy his getting even.

* * *

**M RATED**

Before I know it, I'm lying down on my mattress with him on top of me.

He unbuttons my blouse right away and throws it across the room before I can object.

Not that I was going to.

His lips move on mine and he drags his tongue over my bottom lip to gain access. I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him harder against me. He moves his hands down my body, barely skimming my still-covered chest. I moan, begging him to continue his work on top. He grins through our kisses, obviously informed on my desires, though, he has another idea. He moves his hands even father down my body. Stopping at my legs, he spreads them open and caresses my inner thighs. I moan as he unbuttons my shorts and rips them from my body.

"Paul..please.." I choke out, panting heavily.

Teasing isn't much fun when you're the recipient.

He's killing me with his touch, he knows that, and he's taking full advantage of this knowledge.

"Please.."

I reach down and try to undo his belt. His hands fly to mine to stop them.

"Not-not yet."

I stare into his deep, forest green eyes. They are practically burning with desire. Instead of answering, I place his hands back on my thighs. He looks me up and down and raises his eyebrows. I nod. He smiles and goes for it. He sticks his fingers inside the fabric of my panties and pulls them down slowly. I giggle when he tosses them somewhere in the room. That giggle quickly turns into a moan as he starts to kiss me. I fist at his hair and pull, only slightly. He starts just inside my thighs, then works his way closer..and closer..closer still. When he reaches his destination, I let out a yelp of pleasure. I immediately panic, thinking there's no way in hell Candice didn't hear me. Paul must be thinking that as well, because he moves his hand up to cover my mouth in case I have any other moments of weakness. He must be psychic or something, because I scream into his hand when his tongue joins the party.

At this sudden addition, I close my legs around his head and pull harder on his hair. Realizing he does need to breathe, I release my tight grip around his head. My legs, not purposefully, land on his shoulders as I continue to rake my fingers through his beautiful hair.

I can't take this much longer.

He's driving me crazy with his long, drawn out kisses.

And why the hell does he still have all his clothes on?

There's something sexy about it, but nevertheless, we need to fix that.

"Revenge tastes so sweet," he mumbles into my inner thigh.

Dear, Lord.

I release my grip on his hair and slip my hands under his shirt. I try to pull it off without him noticing, but the second he feels the cotton leaving his body, he stops kissing me and places his hands on top of mine to still them, yet again. I whine at both his disconnection, and his protest of undressing.

"Uh-uh." He starts to pepper my stomach with kisses.

It's not the same.

"Now that's not fair at all. You have..way too much clothing on," I whisper between ragged breaths.

He laughs into my stomach and looks up to me. My eyelids flutter open. I return his smile.

"Can't I just stay clothed and keep doing what I'm doing?" he jokes.

At least I hope he's joking. Or maybe I hope he's serious. I don't really know.

All I know is that I'm not the only one out of the both of us with this burning, aching desire. I just suck at hiding it. While he..well, he's just perfect at everything. I take the lead by flipping us over and straddling his lap.

"No."

Our lips connect and move in sync while I strip him of his shirt, jeans, and boxers.

Once he's undressed, he reclaims his position on top of me.

He doesn't enter me just yet. Instead, he trails kisses down my neck and moves his hands behind my back to unhook my bra.

I'm about to ask him if he needs help when I hear him breaking the hook completely, and tearing the garment from my body.

"Hey, that's my-"

My argument gets stuck in my throat, and my anger washes away, at the sensation of his lips on my chest. My legs once again wrap around his waist, but he still holds off. His lips go up and down my body. He kisses my collarbone, my neck, just under my ear, stopping to nibble lightly on my ear lobe, and then to my lips.

"Paul, please. I need you. Now." I buck my hips into his to prove to him I can't wait any longer. He growls into my mouth and takes the long-time-present green light.

"Dear Lord Jesus." He grinds his teeth and grunts into my ear.

"Oh my God, Paul."

To heck with Candice hearing us. He seems to have stopped caring about our increasing volume as well, because he picks up the pace, rightfully knowing that he'll receive several whimpers from me. I bring my fingers up his sculpted back. I trace every muscle's outline, and as I reach the back of his head, I start to play with the ends of his hair. I push my hips into his. His hands wander down to my waist. I writhe at his touch, while he massages my skin.

Does he realize what he can do to me?

He smirks down at me and pushes harder against my hips.

I'll take that as a yes.

His predictions prove true, as I moan, then tense around him.

He falls off of the edge with me. We both break together. We both lose it together.

He climbs back up on the edge with me. We both heal together. We both relax together.

We lay there for quite a while, merely holding each other. His hands still stroke my thighs, my hands still twirl his hair. Every now and then he kisses my shoulder, my neck, my collarbone, any place he can reach. Whether he's doing it to remind me that he's still awake, or to keep me from falling asleep, I can't tell.

Maybe he's doing it to remind himself that I'm still lying naked underneath him, and this wasn't all a dream.

I decide to break the silence. Or almost silence, due to our conjoined heavy breathing.

"I think Candice heard us."

He laughs. His chest shakes above mine.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Austrailia heard us."

I'm too exhausted to outright laugh. I smile at the ceiling instead.

* * *

**AN: Ooh, is it hot in here or is it just Dobsley? ;)**

**Please review! Thank you so much for reading :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Hello again, everyone! I've decided that the update day for this story will be Wednesday! So expect a brand new chapter on this day every week.**

**This chapter is the first one that I've uploaded where I didn't just combine several small chapters into one. In this chapter I started writing and just kept going. That's a good thing because it means longer chapters, but also a bad thing because I tend to ramble and make things that I write overly long. So I'm very sorry if this chapter is kind of boring. The beginning is the only real Dobsley part. The rest is just intense explanations. It's meant to set up the big things that will occur soon.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Maybe if I ignore it, it will stop.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Or maybe not.

She shuffles next to me, clearly awoken by the alarm clock.

Why, oh why, do we have to get up?

After some more shuffling next to me, I roll over slightly and reach my arm across the bed to the table. I slap the alarm clock, and the noise stops.

Thank you, God.

Wait, did I even press the right button? She better not have one of those alarm clocks where there's one button to turn off the alarm, and then another to stop it for about five minutes.

Nina groans when the sound stops.

"You pressed the wrong button."

I fucking knew it.

I open my eyes. Her back is to me, my arms are around her waist, and our fingers are intertwined against her stomach. She turns her face to look at me from the side. Her radiant smile takes over my mind. It is so genuine.

"Good morning, beautiful." I press my lips to the skin just under her ear and kiss my way down her neck.

She moans into my ear and writhes, pressing her back harder against my chest. That's when I realize we're both still naked.

"Round 2?" she suggests, out of breath.

I'm guessing she's noticed as well.

"Mm, tempting." I bite down gently on her ear lobe, eliciting a shaky breath from her mouth. "But I hear that shower calling my name," I tease.

She giggles. "Even better."

"Do you really want to risk Candice hearing us again?"

She flips us over and straddles me. "I would risk anything and everything with you."

I open my mouth to laugh, or respond, or something, but as her mouth makes contact with my chest, all words form into a huge lump in my throat.

She slides her hands up and down over my torso. When she reaches my arms she grips my wrists and lifts them up. She releases them, but I keep them in the air to humor her. Her body falls onto mine soon after, my arms wrap around her body, and my hands get tangled in her hair.

"Do you realize how hard you are?" she asks. She kisses up and down my neck, nibbling here and there.

"Well, I'm kind of forced to work out. You know, since I play a vampire that takes off his shirt close to never."

She stops kissing me, and moves her mouth to my ear.

"I wasn't talking about your body, Paul," she giggles.

She's not wrong. She may be incredibly horny, but she's not wrong. Pretty far from it.

She moves her face level with mine and smiles at me.

"Is the all-perfect Paul Wesley blushing?"

I frown. "I never said I was perfect."

"You didn't have to," she answers right away.

In any other circumstance, I would smile at her and say thank you. But I won't do so this time. I can't do so this time. I'm not perfect. I never claim to be.

How can a man be perfect when he cheats on his wife with a woman who is also in a relationship?

I don't even know whether perfection is based on what a person does, or how they do it. I always thought perfection was unattainable. Although, I always thought Nina was as well.

I flip us over so that I am on top of her, though I put the majority of my weight in my arms that are propped on the mattress. She giggles and holds my face in her hands. The alarm clock goes off again.

"We could make it quick?" she bites down on her lower lip and flashes me a sultry smile.

"Miss Dobrev, are you suggesting a quickie?"

My teasing earns a fit of giggles. I fall into laughter with her. I lift a hand up to her face and stroke her cheek with the back of my hand.

"If anyone's perfect, it's you."

She looks at me confusedly. I take that as an opportunity to catch her parted lips with my own. I dip my tongue into her inviting mouth, and smile at her moaning. She bites down a little too hard on my bottom lip, making me grunt into her mouth.

"How's that quickie sounding now, huh?" She kisses down my jaw bone, to my collar bone. She circles around to my neck, and back to my lips.

I slap the alarm clock. "Not half bad."

* * *

The past four days have been hectic.

The season three finale of The Vampire Diaries airs next Thursday, and everyone's been going crazy to make ends meet.

There's this underwater scene at the end of the episode that Zach, Paul, and I have all had to train for. The training is pretty basic. Just some typical breathing exercises, and maybe a few laps in the naval academy swimming pool.

That's not all, though.

We still had to shoot plenty of other scenes and things for the rest of the episode. I would take practice any day over normal shooting.

It's much more exciting, fun, and not to mention I get to spend several hours a day with a wet, out of breath, Paul Wesley.

Maybe I'm being naive, but it seems like everybody is still unaware of those looks Paul and I exchange now and then (okay, all the time) that say, "You and me. Sex. Right now." Either that or they choose to act oblivious.

Candice chose to keep quiet about everything she knows about Paul and me. From the date information I shared with her, to the apparently "insanely loud and distinct" noises that she's heard come from my room whenever Paul's over.

He insists that's all on my part.

I tell him that's total bullshit.

Yes, yes, I know that I'm being totally selfish and unfair. I know that the truth should have come out long ago. If I would have come clean to Ian about the past couple weeks, and urged Paul to do the same with Torrey, it would have ensured that Paul and I have a pure and honest relationship.

But since we're being totally honest here, I haven't said anything because I like being selfish with him. I feel as if I have no other choice than to never let him go, because maybe, one day, things will go back to the way they were before we expressed our feelings for each other.

And that right there, is my greatest fear.

I can't lose him. And I don't want to hurt anyone.

I know I'm going to have to tell Ian sooner than later. I also know that Paul, being the perfect man that he is, will encourage me to do so. But how do you tell someone what we've been doing?

"Hey, sorry to inform you, but I've been screwing our co-star."

Yeah..no way in hell.

That sounds like a really twisted rejection letter.

"Ian, I'm so sorry to tell you, but I just thought you should know that Paul and I have been seeing each other romantically for the past couple weeks."

Still pretty bad.

There's really no right way to tell someone who is important to you that you've been cheating on them.

Cheating.

It's such a dirty word, but it's the cold, hard truth.

Paul and I are cheating on Ian and Torrey.

"Is everyone good to go?" our stunt coordinator, John, shouts out across the pool.

I give him a thumbs up and look up to see Zach standing next to me. He nods, turns to me and smiles, and then he's diving into the pool. He swims to the bottom, or as far as I can tell he's at the bottom, and John gives me the okay to dive in as well.

Once I reach the truck at the bottom of the pool, a man next to it hands me the mouthpiece to an oxygen tank. I gladly take it and do as I've done countless times this week. I steady my breathing and get accustomed to being underwater.

The same man opens the door to the truck for me. I swim in and take my spot next to Zach. We each receive some more oxygen from the men outside the truck before they shut the doors. I hear a muffled shout, and I realize it was someone screaming action.

At that second, I remember what I'm supposed to do. I close my eyes to mimic being asleep, then open them a second later to see Zach already pounding away at the glass. I follow his lead by kicking and pushing on the windows, making it look as if I desperately want to get out, yet not hitting hard enough that the glass would actually break.

Another shout sounds and the doors open yet again to let in the Oxygen Men, as I call them. They slip us a good dose of oxygen and before I know it, the doors are shutting again and I'm alone in the truck with Zach.

Zach goes limp. He closes his eyes, putting on that he's unconscious. Seconds later, there he is, swimming down to the truck and waiting outside it just as Zach and I did. He too gets accustomed and uses the oxygen tank before swimming right up next to the truck and pulling the breakaway door off.

He reaches over Zach to me. I shake my head and point to the body next to me. His face contorts into one of annoyance and impatience. He reaches for me again. I shake my head, pointing again at Zach's body next to me.

More shouting, and the doors open to the men with their oxygen tanks. Just as quickly, the doors close, and we continue.

I look at him with utmost sincerity and hope that my eyes convey the message.

Soon enough, he's grabbing Zach and pulling him out of the truck. He swims up and out of the pool, leaving me to stay in the truck. I nod softly to express my appreciation, before closing my eyes and giving the same façade that Zach gave moments ago.

One final shout, and I'm being pulled out of the truck. I swim up. When I break the surface I gasp for air, relishing in the free and real oxygen surrounding me. I tread water for a second at the edge of the pool, ready to climb out. Suddenly, a hand is reaching out to me and I look up to see him smiling down at me like an angel.

I take his offered hand, allowing him to help me out of the pool. I'm still gripping onto his hand, and he's still holding my waist as several men reach the surface as well, holding both filming equipment and oxygen tanks.

"Fantastic job, everybody! I say that's a wrap!" John shouts out. He chuckles and pats someone next to him on the back. Everyone scrambles to pack up the equipment so they can get home.

If only I were so lucky.

"Hey, guys. You going to the party tonight?" Zach walks over to us. We both drop our hands immediately.

Paul clears his throat. "Uh, party?"

"The wrap party for season three." Zach looks us up and down.

"Oh, I almost forgot that's tonight." Paul sneaks a glance at me. I smile and keep looking at Zach. "We'll be there."

My eyes shoot over to Paul. "We will?" He turns to me and nods. "I mean, yeah. We will."

I give Zach a small smile. He picks up a bag that I hadn't noticed sitting next to his feet before.

"I have to go back to set to pick up a few things from my trailer before we go, though. So I guess we'll see you there." I say in a rush.

Zach gives me a wary look, though he doesn't stress it any further. He turns to Paul. "Do you need a ride to the party? I'm heading there right away."

Paul shakes his head. "No, my motorcycle's in the lot." Wait did he just say his- "Thanks anyway, though." He smiles. Zach nods as he walks off to his car.

Next, Paul turns to me and holds out his hand. I scrunch my face up at the formal goodbye. He coughs and motions his head to where the crew is sitting, talking, and "not" watching us. I giggle once the realization sinks in.

Smooth, as always.

"I'll see you tonight, Miss Dobrev."

I nod, barely holding back laughter. "I suppose you will, Mr. Wesley."

I take his hand in mine and he puts something in my palm. Before I can work out in my head what it is, he pulls me into a hug. His arm wraps around my neck, while the other remains locked in our handshake. I put my free arm around his waist. Just as quickly, he's releasing me, and walking towards his bike.

Since when did he get it back?

Vehicle concerns aside, I turn my attention to the folded paper in my palm. When I unfold it, I read the perfectly written words sculpted across the paper: "Meet me outside your trailer in ten."

I smile, fold it back up, and run to my car.

If you can't tell already, I sure as hell can't wait.

* * *

**AN: Big things soon to come. Big things, my friends ;)**

**Oh, and by the way, I changed the rating of this story to M :)**

**Please review! Thank you so much for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Hello everybody :) sorry for posting at such an inconvenient time. I was busy today. **

**This update has plenty of Dobsley in it, though it is a pretty rough cliff-hanger!**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Four minutes and fifty-nine seconds.

I get out of my car and start to walk, okay, run, to my trailer. I slow down when I get to an area on set where everyone's still working hard. The last thing I need is for somebody to stop me and ask where I'm going in such a hurry.

Four minutes and thirteen seconds.

That's just enough time for me to get ready for the party, before I indulge in some heavenly Paul Wesley.

I'll just run into my trailer, change my clothes, put on some makeup to hide the too-noticeable-for-comfort bags underneath my eyes, and grab a different purse.

I can do that in under five minutes.

Can't I?

Of course I can. And if I can't, I will gladly skip makeup for some extra time with Paul.

I open the door to my trailer just as the timer on my phone ticks down to three minutes and forty-six seconds. I rush in the open door and drop my bag on the floor next to the couch. Just as I'm turning to close the door, my eye stops on the little black dress sprawled across the couch. My jaw drops. I pick it up by the clear plastic straps.

_Great_. So it's strapless, too.

A shoe box is sitting next to it. I reluctantly take off the lid and look inside to find a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos.

I'm _so_ going to kill her.

"Like what you see?" I jump at her voice.

Speak of the devil.

Wait, I thought I closed that door?

"What the hell is this for?" I hold up the dress and shoes.

She looks at me like I inhaled too much water shooting the underwater scene. "It's for the party, _duh_."

I roll my eyes. "I know that, Candice. What I mean is..couldn't you pick out something a little less, um.." I look up to her disapproving face. "_Scandalous_?"

She snorts.

"What?" I put the clothes down on the couch and cross my arms over my chest.

"Nothing. Never mind." She raises her hands in defeat. I raise an eyebrow. "Seriously, it's nothing."

I nod, slip off my current shoes, and unbutton my jacket. I pick up the dress and hold it over my body.

"So.." Candice lets out a sigh. "Have you talked to Ian yet?"

I look at her through the mirror. "No, I haven't. I've been trying to think of what to say." She nods at me to continue. "The last thing I want to do is hurt him."

"Well, I think no matter what you say, it'll crush him. He and Paul have really bonded. And you-" She pauses. "Well, you know how much he loves you."

I turn to her. "You're not helping at all."

I feel them coming.

The tears.

I can feel them threatening to spill over due to the lump of guilt and worry stuck in my throat.

"Oh, no, no, no, no..don't-" She pulls me into a hug. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad! I just..I want you to know you're going to have to hurt someone."

I return the hug and rest my chin on her shoulder. "I know. I know that I can't please everyone. And you didn't make me feel bad," I laugh. "I've felt guilty about this whole thing ever since I forced him to-"

She pushes away from me. "Woah, woah, woah. You did not force him to do anything, Nina! He's with you out of his own free will. Don't you dare blame yourself like that!"

"But, I pressured him into processing his feelings for me. I shouldn't have done it. I should have waited for him to come around. It's all my fault, it's all my fault!" My voice breaks as tears fill my eyes.

"Hey. Look at me." She puts her hands on my shoulders. "You. Did. _Not_. Pressure. Him. And if you would have waited for him to come to you on his own, you'd probably be waiting forever." She giggles, and I join her. "I mean, you know how he is about being a good guy."

I wipe my watery eyes on my sleeve and give her a slight smile.

"This is not your fault. You and I both know, hell, Paul would probably agree, that this wasn't supposed to happen. But it did. And you guys can't dwell on how you should have handled your feelings or who instigated it, because that's in the past." She pulls me into another hug.

"It's not your fault, it's not your fault." She gives me one last squeeze before breaking our embrace and holding my hands in hers. "Know that I'm here for you, like I always have been. Even if I didn't originally agree with your decisions, I want you to be happy." She squeezes my hands, and lets go just as quickly.

"Thank you so much." I sniffle a little, then roll my eyes at how ridiculous I'm being.

"Now, slip that dress on, pop those shoes on, and go get some. Just not at our apartment this time, because I would like some moan-free sleep."

Charming.

I feign anger by giving her shoulder a push, but when I hear her giggle, I can't help but smile.

"I'll see you at the party!" she calls. And with that, she's escaping out the trailer door before she can put her foot deeper in her mouth.

* * *

Once I get the dress and shoes on, and finish my makeup, I look at myself in the mirror and shrug.

"It'll have to do," I say to myself after I've put my hair into a tight pony tail.

I get outside and see Candice still hasn't walked away. She's still standing close to my trailer, taking to Joseph.

I round the corner, still looking at the two of them.

I wonder if they've ever thought about going out. They have great chemistry on and off screen, and they're always together.

Before I realize what's happening, I'm being pulled by the arm to the side of my trailer. My wrists get pinned above my head, and a hand clamps down over my mouth.

To say he takes my breath away would be an understatement.

"Nina?" I hear Candice call. "Are you alright?"

He smirks at me in the darkness, and removes his hand from my mouth.

"I-I'm fine! Everything's fine," I stutter, still out of breath.

He looks past me in the direction of where Candice's voice came from, and turns back to me when he decides they're gone.

"You're late."

Damn it, Candice.

"Sorry, I was busy trying to talk Candice out of making me wear this."

He looks me up and down. I doubt he can see much in the darkness, considering I'm wearing all black. He seems satisfied, though, because he licks his lips.

_Oh_, he licks his lips. Oh, _his lips_. I find myself staring at them.

He leans into me and presses his forehead to mine. "I think you look perfect."

I barely hear what he says, I'm too busy watching the way his lips move as he talks. His mouth is slightly open, and I realize in that exact moment how much I truly want him. I realize how much I've missed his body pressed against mine. I've so desperately missed his tongue exploring my mouth as he lifts me up on his hips. I've missed wrapping my legs around his waist like I was made to be held by him in that way.

I want him. And I want him _now_.

I switch my gaze to look into his eyes in hope that I can convey the message through eye contact.

Apparently my eyes speak volumes, and apparently he feels the same, because the very next second, his lips come crashing down on mine. His tongue slips into my parted lips, eliciting a moan. My moan drives him over the edge. He bucks his hips, hard, against mine, finally releasing my wrists from above my head. He moves them to my waist, pulling my body to his, and moving his mouth to my neck. His lips make their way down to my chest, and I gasp in delight. My hands fly to his hair and ruffle it as he continues to kiss my chest.

Still moaning, I bring his face to meet mine, and capture his lips hungrily with my own. My hands wander down his body, stopping just over where his jacket stops and his pants start. I pull at the waistband of his boxers. He grunts as I grip him.

"Don't start something you don't plan to finish, Miss Dobrev," he growls into my ear.

I grab the back of his neck with my other hand. "Sorry to inform you, Mr. Wesley, but I have every intention of finishing this. You'll just have to live with it."

In answer, his lips go back to showing attention to my neck as he picks me up by my ass, places me on his hips, and I lock my ankles on his lower back. His hands remain at my ass. I bring my hands up to his hair, pulling at it and moaning. He nibbles and sucks on my neck and chest as he takes us back up the steps of my trailer.

Oh, how I've missed this.

* * *

**PAUL'S POINT OF VIEW**

Where the hell is Nina?

I dodge through the crowd of people, searching for her. Though, to no avail.

Seriously, could they have invited any more people?

Probably.

I stop when I see Candice dancing with Joseph. Well, she's dancing. He's just standing there awkwardly twirling her and laughing.

When did they become so close?

Kat and Claire aren't far from them, holding hands, twisting, turning, and fist pumping to the music.

I know that I should be having fun with them. We're celebrating one more successful year together, with another on the way.

Being with Nina may have caused me to neglect my friendships with my other friends, but is it wrong to say I don't mind giving all my time to Nina? Am I selfish to want her every second of every day?

One thing is for sure: I love her fully, honestly, and undeniably, even if that is selfish.

Lost in my own thought, I don't see her right away. She sees me first, strides down a set of stairs, and across the dance floor to where I'm leaning against the bar. Her long chocolate brown hair is still up in a pony tail, revealing her perfectly smooth neck. My eyes wander down her body, noticing how her legs seem to go on forever. The tight black dress that she claims Candice forced her to wear does wonders for her curves. It stops quite a bit above her knees, and hugs to her thighs, waist, and chest. She almost tricks me into thinking she's overly confident.

But I know Nina.

Everybody seems to think she has an endless supply of self esteem, and every single one of them is wrong.

How, you may ask, could someone who's so flawless ever doubt themselves as she does?

Because she's human.

"Like what you see?"

She gets dangerously close to me and puts her hands on my chest. I can already smell the alcohol on her breath. She's not wasted, or even drunk, just a tad buzzed.

"I do." I take her hands off of me and give her a cautious look. She raises and eyebrow to me as I glance around the room, hoping everybody's too busy to notice. They are.

That's one good thing about having so many random people here.

She giggles, taking my hands in hers. "Come on. I want to show you something."

I look around again, and still, nobody seems to care or notice. She pulls me up the stairs she just recently descended from, turning around and smiling at me several times.

We reach a tall metal door, and Nina pushes it open, dragging me with her. Another set of stairs, and suddenly we're outside, on the roof. She lets go of my hand, running like a little kid to lean over the railing and look at the beautiful view.

I laugh as she waves me over to her. I follow her, of course. And in that moment, I remember our night at the carnival, and when I showed her the sunset from the roof. She was so amazed and she couldn't stop smiling.

Well, now it's my turn to be amazed and never stop smiling.

Not because of the glorious sunset, or because of the calming breeze blowing at us from up here, or even because of the lack of people up here, but at the beauty called Nina Dobrev.

No matter what she's wearing, by force or not, how much makeup she has on to cover her dark circles, or whether her hair is up or down, she'll always be beautiful me.

Especially in moments like these, where she so desperately wants me to bask in them with her. Where she's sinking into my embrace, inhaling my scent deeply, with no shame, and rubbing circles on my lower back, as she always does.

I kiss her forehead, letting my lips stay there a little longer, in hope that she comprehends just how much she means to me.

She slips out of our embrace, and cups my face with her palms. "I have to tell you something."

I give her an encouraging smile. She bites her lip. "I'm pregnant."

I freeze, my mouth involuntarily hangs open, and I would bet anything I have that my heart stopped.

The look on my face is, no doubt, priceless.

She must be joking.

Her serious face changes to a smirk in a matter of seconds. "Gotcha," she whispers into my mouth.

That proves she's a little buzzed.

Before I can react, she's stepping away and walking nonchalantly to the exit.

Once my brain catches up to the situation, I hurry after her. She looks back and sees me coming for her, so she speeds up, squealing.

I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close. She giggles and squirms like a little girl. I move my mouth right by her ear. "Now, I've got you."

She writhes in my arms as I graze my nose along her neck. "Well, now that you've got me, what are you going to do with me?"

I spin her around, and bring my mouth to her neck. I kiss up and down it, nibbling here and there, then I make my way down to her chest. She gasps, so I smile against her skin.

I love finding her weak spots, though I love exploiting them even more. She moans, grabbing handfuls of my hair, pulling at it, then ruffling it when she feels she's being too rough.

Hm, I have mixed emotions.

Option one: let her be as rough with me as she wants.

That's always enjoyable.

Option two: keep my hair.

Yeah, I'd rather keep my hair.

She jumps into my arms, so my hands move to her back. They keep moving lower until I reach her ass. I squeeze her roughly. Instantly, I worry that I may have hurt her, so I remove my hands.

"Don't," she whispers in a ragged breath. She takes my hands and puts them back on her ass. I squeeze her again, pushing her harder against my body.

Her hands find my hair again. She rakes her fingers through it, massaging my scalp.

She moans as I suck at the top of her chest some more. "Oh, make love to me. Here. Now. _Please_."

Her hands start to push my jacket off of my shoulders. I stop them by grabbing her wrists.

"Not here." I look into her deep, brown eyes, filled with passion and desire. I'm sure my own have the very same look to them.

She nods, still attempting to control her breathing, and to come down from the high I have just sent her to. I place her back down on her feet, and off we go, down the many staircases, and out the main door.

* * *

No door could open and close fast enough.

We're pulling at clothes, balling our fists with fabric, though not totally taking anything off.

Why the hell not?

I have no idea.

Nina grabs me by my jacket and attacks my lips with hers. She wastes no time at all in slipping her tongue into my mouth, tasting me, while also giving me a taste of her luscious mouth.

I press her up against the door with my body. She gasps at the sudden movement, but gets into it easily by lifting her left leg in the air, and putting it around my waist. My hips slam into hers, and we moan in unison. I continue to grind my hips into hers, grunting, when she begins to suck and tease my neck. Unable to take any more, I move my attention to kissing and loving her beautiful neck. Her fingers ruffle my hair, gently this time.

"I've been thinking." She breathes into my ear. "I do." I nibble on the skin just below her ear, then on her ear lobe. "I do want to go to New Jersey with you this summer." A whimper escapes her mouth as she bucks her hips into me. "I want to go everywhere and do everything with you."

I grunt at her words, her movements, and her heavy breathing.

**NINA'S POINT OF VIEW**

All I can think about is his hands on my ass, his mouth on my chest, and his hips grinding into mine. I only open my eyes for a second, just a second. And in that second, I see it.

* * *

**AN: See you next Wednesday ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: *insert overly-dramatic sigh* This chapter is quite lacking in the Dobsley department.**

** I don't know about you guys, but for me, this chapter brought me down a lot. While I was writing it, I took note of the reviews you all left me. I don't know who left each one, but I remember the basis of them. **

**To clear things up, I in no way think that my story is an accurate representation of a good Dobsley reunion. If they ever did explore deeper into why they have the chemistry that they do, despite the fact that the Dobsley fandom, and myself, would be thrilled beyond belief, I wouldn't want them to "explore" their feelings unfairly. I hope that none of you would either. I have said many times (maybe just not on here) how I don't really care if Paul is married and Nina is, now was, dating Ian, because I believe that they truly are meant to be together. With the chance of getting hate, I'll say what I hope I'm not alone in thinking: Paul being married to Torrey is just another factor keeping them apart. That, along with the fact that both of them probably realize it's wrong to start another relationship before you settle your current one. I hope that they don't go about their "feelings" by way of this story's plot, even if I have told some people that I do. Now, before you get your panties in a twist and question my Dobsley shipper status, think about a quote that I'm almost positive is from Gossip Girl: "If two people are meant to be together, they'll find their way back to each other." That might not be totally word-for-word, but I hope you understand the main message behind it. Stefan and Elena are meant to be together, in my opinion, and so are Paul and Nina. Though, neither of these couples are together at this moment in time. I'm betting you all know what I mean by Stefan and Elena needing to find their way back to each other. The same goes for Paul and Nina..sort of. They met in 2009 and apparently they had so much instant chemistry that everyone was so amazed, but nothing was done about said chemistry. Now they have to find their way back to each other by acting on those strong feelings.**

**In all honesty, being the hardcore Dobsley shipper that I am, I would be fine with any sort of "feeling proclamation" from either of them. I just want to get across that they should take the initiative and break things off with any other relationships. **

**I do NOT wish that they cheat on anyone. Cheating is a terrible habit, lifestyle, whatever you wish to call it. Cheaters never prosper, which is why I realize that this story is a contradiction of itself. I'm sorry for that, because I personally hate contradictions. I know that this story is rough in the sense of how I want Dobsley to happen, and overall, this speech may confuse quite a lot of you. But just to shorten this babble-session, think about the title. Remember, "This Wasn't Supposed to Happen."****  
**

**But it did.**

**And that's okay.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

The constant, yet soft, breeze blows against my face while I walk down the streets of downtown Atlanta.

I should tell him. I should tell him everything.

Though, that wouldn't help much. It wouldn't make everything I've put him through just disappear.

I would still live with this overwhelming guilt, this weight pounding on my heart. I can't shake it, whether I fess up or not.

The bell above the door chimes to alert those inside the cafe as I push through the door. I spot him sitting at a table near the middle of the cafe. He seems as though he hasn't gotten much sleep. His head jolts back and forth, scanning the premises every now and then, probably in search of me. As his gaze lands on me, a bright smile graces his face and he stands up. I stride over to the table and embrace him. He smells like aftershave and toothpaste.

"How's my favorite girl?" He releases me as just as quickly and sits down. I follow his lead.

"I'm fine. Look, I'm sorry we haven't talked since the party. I've been really busy."

Okay, that's a lie. Unless you classify "busy" as sitting in your apartment, refusing to talk to anyone, even your roommate, and eating double chocolate chip ice cream while you watch reruns of Gossip Girl. But I'd say most people classify that as a broken heart.

He opens his menu and scans lazily over the options. "It's perfectly fine. I understand." He reaches into his pocket. "I'm glad that you were able to meet me, though." I raise an eyebrow. "I want to ask you something."

I put my menu down and look up at his striking eyes. He pulls out a little black box and holds it in one hand; he takes my hand in his other. "Nina Dobrev, I have had the pleasure of knowing the perfection that is you for the past few years. I love you more than I thought I could ever love another person. So would you do me the incredible honor, of being my wife?"

Something catches in my throat.

For once in the past couple years, I'm surprised by him.

I'm utterly speechless.

I look around the small cafe. Everyone's staring at us, and I don't blame them. When you see two people from a television show in a cafe while you're having a meal, you have the obligation to stare. Add in a marriage proposal, and you're insane if you don't stare.

I look down at the little black box, holding the delicate, diamond ring. Then I look up at his expectant face, smiling nervously.

I believe in moments.

Moments that can go two different ways: for better or for worse. When you choose the wrong way to go in a moment, you end up with an even worse effect. These moments can change our lives in several different ways, which is why free will is such a blessing.

But what if you're so broken, so bruised, so incredibly unable to pick the right way to go, that you feel as though picking the wrong way couldn't possibly make things any worse? What if you just feel like giving up everything you're fighting for? Does that make you weak?

"Yes," I answer. "Yes, I'll marry you."

His nervous smile peels away to reveal a confident one. He moves around the table and pulls me into a tight hug. "I love you so much, Nina," he whispers into my hair.

I close my eyes and soak in the sound of everyone in the cafe clapping and cheering. Maybe this is how it should be. Maybe it's time to finally give up.

"I love you too, Ian."

It does.

It does make you weak.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_A stack of papers is lying on the table by his dresser._

_"Oh-oh, my God." I put my hands over my mouth and turn my head to the side._

_The second Paul hears my displeasure, he stops what he's doing. He lifts his face even with mine, looks into my eyes, and then looks in the direction they're looking. He stiffens._

_He slowly walks over to the table and picks up the papers. His face darkens._

_If I ever thought I knew what a face of pure horror looks like before, it's nowhere near as real and heartbreaking as the look on his face._

_"Is-is that?" I take a step closer to him._

_"Yeah." He swallows, but the lump in his throat doesn't seem to disappear. "It's a divorce document." His voice wavers, and his eyes start to fill with tears._

_I take a few more steps to him, holding out my hands to touch and caress him in the way that I did only seconds ago._

_He holds up his hand to stop me. "You should go."_

_I shake my head. "Don't. Don't do that. Don't shut me out. Look at me. Talk to me." I walk closer to him. "I love you."_

_"No! I can't! We can't! I knew this would happen! I knew it would end up like this! We were naive, Nina!" he yells. I take another step towards him. "We were stupid to think that we could have a happy ending without telling them the truth! Without telling anyone the truth!"_

_I finally reach him. I put my hands on his face and massage his tear-stained cheeks with my thumbs. "We can get through this! I love you, and you love me! That's enough to get through this!"_

_Tears no longer threaten to spill over, they just do._

_He shakes his head. "I love you. So much. And I know how much you love me. But I can't let this go on any longer." I duck my head, sobbing into his chest. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."_

_I jerk my head up. "What? No. No, you're not hurting me. I-"_

_He puts his palms on my cheeks, wiping away the tears. "Baby, you're crying your eyes out." He rubs his thumbs up and down my cheeks. "I want you to be happy more than anything. And I can't give you the happiness you deserve."_

_I bite my lip and shake my head, sobbing. "No. You're wrong. You're the only one who makes me happy." I laugh hysterically. "What about, taking me to New Jersey on your motorcycle? Speaking of which, I'm still confused on how you found it." He laughs through tears. "And, what about your promise to never leave me? Since when did that become null and void? And-"_

_He kisses my forehead, shushing me. "This is what's best for you. I'm doing this because I love you more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. And that's wrong. It was selfish of me to put my desires before what you deserve. So I'm fixing that now by walking away."_

_I can't take it._

_I can't take all the lies._

_So, I leave._

_I push away from the only man who has ever loved me as deeply as I love him, and walk away._

_He's wrong._

_I'm the one doing all the walking away._

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

"You just, walked away?"

I turn slightly to see the side of the dress in the mirror. "What else was I supposed to do, Candice? He made it clear he wanted me to get out."

Candice scowls at me through the mirror. "You were supposed to tell him he's stupid for wanting to do what's best for you! That you don't care if the love you two have isn't perfect! That you love each other too much to not be together forever!"

I return her scowl through the mirror. "My bad, I guess I should have consulted you first. Oh, wait. I couldn't. I was a little too busy putting my tongue down his throat." My voice catches and I put my face in my hands.

I will not cry in front of her, or anyone. Not unless I'm acting. I'm tired of feeling weak.

"I'm sorry." She turns me around and pulls me into a hug. "I know I shouldn't have brought it up. I just-" She exhales and throws her hands in the air. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

I smile weakly and turn back around. She takes my hand in hers. "So, are you? Okay, I mean."

I look at myself in the mirror. My dress is literally the poofiest (is that a word?) dress I've ever laid my eyes on. Candice picked it out, and I let her. I mean, why should I be wearing something I'm in love with if I'm marrying the wrong man? It's sleeveless and strapless, has a sweetheart neckline, a lace corset, (so it hugs my torso as tightly as the dresses I wore on set for playing Katherine) and then it poofs out when it reaches my belly button. There are sparkles throughout it, as well as on the crown Candice picked out, because I turned down the veil.

"No. Not at all. I'm the furthest I've ever been from okay. But I guess that doesn't matter. It's my own fault that I'm in this situation. If only I had a backbone." I smooth out the dress and sigh.

"Okay, enough sadness! You stay here and twirl or, whatever! I'm going to go fetch some coffee!" Candice gives my hand another squeeze and bounces out the door.

I sigh into the mirror again, repeating my mantra as I have since that night.

_I'm not allowed to feel broken. __It's my own fault that I'm in this situation._

* * *

**PAUL'S POINT OF VIEW**

The coffee shop is basically empty. Only the barista, an elderly couple, and myself are in here.

This is what I need.

Silence and caffeine.

Honestly, divorces are tiresome.

Turns out, Torrey did see Nina and me dancing at the club. But she had some secrets of her own. Though, her attorney made it clear she doesn't want to (and doesn't have to) discuss with me her other reason for leaving the document in my hotel room. I don't blame her. She in no way needs to explain herself to me, nor does she have to talk to me at all. I know I wouldn't want to deal with scum like me ever again.

The barista hands me my drink and I turn to sit down at a table by the window. I hear the bell above the door chime, though I ignore it.

"Paul?"

I freeze mid-step. As soon as I realize I'm just imagining things, and it's not her, I turn to see a smiling Candice.

"Hey." I smile back at her and motion for her to sit down with me. She nods, holds up a hand, and turns to give her order to the barista. When she turns back around she goes to sit down across from me.

"How are you doing?" She reaches out and gives my wrist a comforting squeeze.

I inhale and take a sip of my drink. I cringe at the temperature.

Damn it, why did I do that?

Of course it's still hot, you idiot, you just got it.

Candice giggles slightly and flashes me a warm smile.

"I'm-"

What do I even say to her?

Do I lie? Do I tell her how much I regret telling Nina what I told her only days ago?

"I'm okay, I guess. Torrey and I are officially divorced as of ten minutes ago. We signed the final papers." I move my to-go cup from one hand to the other.

"So, this is a celebration, then?"

I laugh dryly, and raise my cup. "Oh, absolutely."

At least Candice has the energy to crack a joke.

The barista calls to Candice for her drink. She gets up from her seat and retrieves it, only to return to her spot across from me, drink in hand.

It's silent for a while. Neither of us speak, neither of us look at each other. I wonder if she's still breathing. I know I am, though barely. Then she asks me what she's been meaning to ask me since she walked in here.

"What happened, Paul?" I still don't look at her, but I can feel her eyes boring into mine. "Why did you do it?"

Well, it's now or never. Time to come clean.

I know Candice won't tell her if I ask her not to.

I can't keep messing up the girl that I love's life.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

A couple shots won't hurt me.

Maybe it'll give me enough guts to come clean to Ian.

Although, it's not my place to tell him anything. Nina will tell him when she's ready.

But, will she ever be ready?

Will I ever be ready?

"Two shots of bourbon, please."

I smile at his choice of alcohol. "Channeling your inner Damon, I see?"

He laughs as the bartender prepares his drinks. I knock back another shot. "Have to admit, the guy's got a great taste in alcohol." I nod, turn to smile at him, and when I see his drinks are ready, I lift up my newly filled shot glass to toast. We laugh as our glasses clink together.

"Paul, I've been meaning to ask you something." I turn to him, devoting my attention to his sincerity. "I'm planning on proposing to Nina in a couple days, and the wedding will be about a week from now. And I was wondering if you would..if you would be my best man?"

You know how people talk about out-of-body experiences?

They literally say that in a moment in time, they felt as if they were watching their life happen in front of them. Like they were witnessing their life slip away from them, unable to reach out and press the pause button.

In this moment, the remote seems to be broken.

"Ian, I-I would love to." His face lights up. "But I can't. I'm going to New Jersey very soon. I won't be here next weekend."

He nods. "I understand, but can't you just go a little later? I mean, I would really love for you to be there. I know Nina would-"

All of a sudden, I'm able to press pause.

"Look, Ian. I just can't, I'm sorry. I have to go. Sorry." I hear him start to speak again as I get up from the stool and walk away.

I leave him, and my untouched shot, at the bar.

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

**AN: Don't fret, my fellow shippers. I won't prolong the painful silence much longer, I promise.**

**If anyone is wondering about what day it is and all that, know that the party was on Friday, Ian proposed to Nina on Monday, Candice and Nina went dress shopping on Wednesday, and Paul and Candice talked on Wednesday as well. ****The first flashback takes place in Paul's hotel room right when Nina sees the divorce papers. The second one takes place at the party on Friday right before Paul finds Nina.**

**Please review! Thank you so much for reading :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: This chapter is by far my favorite. **

**I hope you love it as much as I do.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

The second I put my ear up to the phone, I regret it.

"Where the hell are you? Rehearsal is going to start soon!"

I groan. "I know I'm late, Candice. You don't need to remind me."

There's some background noise from the other line. It sounds like a door shutting. "You were supposed to be here half an hour ago! What's taking you so long?"

I look down at the mocha chocolate chip frappe in my hand.

At least she can't see me.

"I had a caffeine crisis."

"You stopped for _coffee_? Nina, this is no time to worry about your low blood pressure! Your wedding is tomorrow! Did you hear me?_ Your wedding is tomorrow_. And you're late for the rehearsal!"

I roll my eyes as Candice continues. Just as I'm sipping my drink, my eye catches on him. He's sitting at a table outside the cafe on the corner. His gaze is locked on the book in his hands, reading, whatever it is, intently. He still looks the same. Perfect hair, perfect face, perfect stature. Okay, perfect everything. His foot taps vigorously on the cement ground, proving that some habits never get outgrown.

What am I talking about?

It's not like we've been apart for years. More like a week.

Though, it feels like forever ago since he would wrap his strong arms around my waist and pull me close to whisper dirty things in my ear. Since I would wake up to him next to me, and smile at the simplicity of how his nose twitches when he sleeps. That's all gone now. All the happiness. All the laughter. The love is still there, though. The love, like a drug. It looks so fascinating, so exciting. You see how happy it can make people, so you let it take you over. You allow it to get deep into your body and take hold of the strongest muscle in there: your heart. And when you're a coward, like I am, it strangles and squeezes your insides so you can no longer breathe, or speak, or function.

That's why nobody ever tells you that love hurts when you're a coward. Because, those who loved as cowards can't muster up enough strength to warn the others. So when you hear from happy couples about how in love they are, it's because they aren't cowards. They didn't run away when the going got tough, or when their lover tried to push them away for the better. No, they stood their ground. They found their voice.

Lately, I've been wondering if cowards ever can find their voice. If second chances really do exist. Clearly they do, because here I am, standing ten feet from the love of my life. I take a deep breath and walk over to him.

"Nina! Are you even listening to me? What is-"

I look at my phone to see Candice is still on the line. "Something came up. I'll be there when I can."

"What? What do you-"

I hang up on her and shove my phone back into my purse. As I get to the table where he sits, I stand there for a second, hoping he notices me so I won't have to startle him.

Unfortunately, he doesn't notice at all.

"Hey."

His gaze slowly leaves the book and lands on my face. The edges of his mouth twitch as if he's trying to decide whether to smile or keep a straight face.

"Hi."

Not,_ hey, stranger._

Has he forgotten about everything?

The looks we preserved only for each other? The flirty innuendoes we tried to sneak into every conversation, no matter how serious either of us were?

For a split second, I wonder if he did forget. Then, I look into his eyes and remember that he never could. I know him better than he knows himself, and just as I can't, he'll never be able to shake the feeling he gets in the pit of his stomach when he's around me.

At least that hasn't changed.

He nods at my outfit. "Where are you headed?"

I look down at my green, peplum dress and black stilettos. "A wedding rehearsal.." His lips part a little, and he looks back and forth between me and his drink. "It's actually-it's my wedding rehearsal. Ian proposed, and I said yes."

I'm overcome by his green eyes, staring into mine and refusing to look away.

How is he able to look at me right now?

His face doesn't fall. He doesn't look away.

I would have expected some sort of surprise or bad reaction.

He gets up from his seat. "So..are you, you know, coming to the, uh, wedding? Tomorrow?"

Ugh, why am I stuttering so damn much?

"As tempting as that sounds.." He forces a laugh. "I can't. I'm leaving for New Jersey tomorrow." He moves around the table and flashes me a small smile.

"Wait. Talk to me, please. I just-I just want to be selfish with you. I need to be selfish with you." My voice escalates, cracking several times. "Please."

I don't intend to fight with him. Actually, I want to do the exact opposite.

But it's hard to make up with someone that's made separation their sole purpose.

My hand finds his. I try to intertwine our fingers. He recoils his hand and turns to leave.

If I didn't know him as well as I do, I would've missed the painful look hidden in his deep, green eyes.

"Paul!"

He stops at the sound of my voice, but doesn't turn around.

I gather every courageous part in my body. "Are you still-"

His head turns to the side, his fists clench at his sides, and he answers my unfinished question.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. I am still in love with you."

_But it doesn't matter_, I finish for him as well, because I know how much courage it takes to finish a confession like that, and how much courage has been drained from both of us.

* * *

This isn't right.

I shouldn't be thinking about him. Not now, or ever again. It doesn't matter that he confirmed my secret hope. He's probably trying to let me down easy, like the good guy that he is. Letting me go is so simple for him, so why is it so difficult for me to let him go? Why am I thinking about our two minute conversation in front of a corner cafe, on my wedding day?

If he's really in love with me, why did he give up on us? I refuse to believe he's trying to _make me happy_ or _do the right thing_. I've found that love isn't about doing the right thing, it's about doing what's best for each other. And no, those aren't the same thing.

"Stop messing with your hair. You'll ruin it." Candice glares at me for a moment before turning her attention back to the road.

Good girl.

"Yes, mother." I cross my arms over my chest mid-laugh.

"So, what did you say when he..you know, told you he's still-"

I'm relieved Candice didn't finish. She knows that I understand. She also knows I would rather not spend more time talking about it than I have to.

"I didn't say anything. I mean, what was I supposed to say? _Quit being a good person and just give in to what you want_?" I joke. "No. Just like before, I was a coward and let him walk away."

Candice nods. She looks like she's dying to ask me something, but cautious at the same time. Almost like she's afraid to say or ask the wrong thing.

"What did he say when you told him about the wedding?"

I look down at my hands. My fingernails are painted a deep cerulean blue, courtesy of Candice's favorite nail salon.

"Well, he didn't seem surprised or caught off guard, if that's what you mean. He joked that it's tempting, but he can't because he's leaving for New Jersey today. Why do you ask?"

Her grip tightens, and she taps her newly French manicured fingernails, on the steering wheel. "He didn't mention anything else? Like, maybe, why he wasn't surprised?"

What is this, an interrogation?

"No. He didn't. Why, do you think you know why he's not surprised?"

I meant it as a joke, but my banter only makes her seem more nervous.

"Candice, what do you know?" She ignores me. "Have you talked to him? Did he tell you something?" I'm starting to sound desperate, though I don't care anymore. "What are you not telling me? My voice escalates until I'm almost yelling.

I didn't think that I would ever scream at Candice like I am. But I also never thought she would keep something like this from me.

_"Incoming call from Ian_."

I jump at the computerized voice coming from the Bluetooth in her car. Candice lets out a breath I never realized she was holding.

"Answer call."

I sink into my seat. Obviously, Candice knows something. Obviously, she's not going to spill the beans. Obviously, I'm going to have to find out for myself.

"Hey, Candice. Is Nina with you?"

Candice stops at a red light and looks at me apologetically. "Yeah, she's right here."

"Great. Anyway, can you please add my brother to the guest list? He's my best man replacement. Just don't tell him that." Ian's laugh echoes through the car.

"Will do." She nods and reaches for the button to hang up. I catch her wrist with my hand.

"Wait." Candice's face flushes in fear. She knows what I'm going to ask, and for some reason, that scares her. "Ian, what do you mean _replacement_? Who was your first choice?"

I release Candice's wrist. "I asked Paul, but he said he's going to be leaving for New Jersey soon. I don't blame him. Family comes first, after all."

Despite the lump in my throat, I dig deeper. "When did you ask him this?"

Ian stays quiet for a moment, probably trying to recall the event. "At the party last Friday. He turned it down and then said he had to leave. Why, what's-"

I reach for the button and hang up on him. Candice forces a fake laugh as she starts driving again. I turn to face her.

"And there go the beans."

* * *

Right. Left. Right. Left.

When did this aisle get so long?

It's only giving me more time to think about him.

He knew.

He knew that Ian was going to propose to me. That's why he let me go. That's why he put a happy face on. He's trying to prove to me, and possibly himself, that I'll be happier with Ian.

Well, he's never been more wrong about anything.

Alex releases the grip on my forearm. I walk carefully up the steps towards Ian. Towards a life with him, and away from the life I thought was perfectly possible.

The vows leave my mouth, but the empty words drill deep into my heart, leaving a gap so wide that only he can fill in.

But the moment is gone. He's gone.

Or is he?

I look up to several expectant faces.

Shouting bounces off the walls of the chapel, echoing around me as I run off the altar, down the ridiculously long aisle, and out the doors, onto the streets of downtown Atlanta.

Maybe I don't need to wait for the right moment.

I can make my own.

* * *

Obviously, cowards run from anything that scares them. It's natural, like a reflex. Along with it being natural, it's safe. It's also assuring.

But what it's not, is fulfilling.

The fulfillment lies in the one who can make you happier than you've ever been. They love you endlessly, regardless of how intense your love for each other is, and how much it scares you both.

Love is fearless.

Fearless isn't having no fears; especially when it comes to love.

It's tipping your hat, so to speak, at everything that you're afraid of happening, and falling further still in love. It's jumping into the arms of the one you love, even if he let you go once before, and you allowed him. It's taking that chance, even when the odds have been against you all along. It's making your own moments to fix your cowardly actions in the past, despite the voice in the back of your mind screaming at you to not be so stupid.

I'm okay with being the stupidest person in the world if it means I don't have to live without him for another second.

I know people are staring.

Why the hell wouldn't they?

I'm running down the sidewalk in a wedding dress and five inch heels.

Little do they know that, for the first time in a long time, I'm taking a chance.

I'm making my own moment.

One more block, a revolving door, an elevator, and one hallway.

That's all that's separating us at the moment.

Also, the poofy dress that's getting pretty heavy being bunched up in my fists. And the overly high stilettos that I'm suddenly nearly tripping in. And-

Okay, you know what? There's a lot separating us right now. But that's beside the point.

Finally, I reach the revolving door and push into the fresh, clean hotel. I suddenly forget where I am, and where the elevator is. My mind is boggling, trying to distinguish what I'll say when we're reunited, and if this was worth it at all.

What if he already left?

After allowing my brain to make sense of the situation, I sprint to the elevator and press the button about a thousand times.

Thank God. There's nobody in the elevator.

I run inside, press the button for his floor, and sigh in relief that my mind is no longer in a fog.

After what felt like the longest elevator ride of my life, irritating music and all, the doors open to his floor. I hold up my dress once again to start running down the hall to his room.

When I reach the door, I notice it's already open.

No incessant knocking required.

I push open the door and rush inside, prepared to pour my heart out.

"Paul, I-"

It's true.

The moment really is gone.

Along with him.

The cleaning lady has her back to me. She's holding sheets under her arm as she makes the bed.

The bed.

Where we shared so many moments.

They're all gone because of a moment that I failed to create.

"Mr. Wesley just left for vacation." She turns to me. "Oh, my! You look gorgeous, dear! Whatever are you doing here? It looks as if you should be the bride in a wedding!"

No.

Is it possible to tell yourself, _I told you so?_

How could I have been so stupid, so terribly naive?

Why the hell didn't I listen to him?

I smile weakly at her. "Yeah. Yeah, I should be. Thank you."

That's what I am.

Weak.

Broken.

Because he really has given up. Just as I should've done a long time ago.

The walk back down the hall to the elevator, out of the elevator, through the lobby, and out the door is much slower and drawn out than the run to.

How do I explain my running away to Candice? And to Ian?

I wouldn't be surprised if I lost Ian as a friend, let alone a husband.

My heels clank down the cement steps towards the sidewalk.

Time to give up, and give in.

"Nina?"

That voice.

_His_ voice.

I freeze, still looking at the ground. My gaze slowly rises until it lands on him, standing by the sidewalk next to his parked motorcycle. I take one step. Then another. Another still. Soon, I'm sprinting down the steps to him. I jump into his embrace and clutch to his body, aching to be closer, to feel his entire being surround me. My arms wrap around his neck securely, and almost instantly, his arms grip my waist as tightly as ever. My legs dangle leisurely under the poof of my dress.

"Hey, stranger."

* * *

**AN: I told you not to fret ;)**

**Please review! Thank you so much for reading :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Well, here it is, the final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this story, it being my first fan fiction. And, just to clear something up, I DO NOT ship Delena. I honestly have no idea why anyone would even think that. I will ship Stelena and Dobsley until I die.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

**PAUL'S POINT OF VIEW**

She's here.

She's in my arms.

"Hey, stranger."

A single droplet of water hits my arm. I pull away to look at her. I place my forehead to hers and look into her chocolate brown eyes, only to find no tears rolling down her cheeks. Confused, I look up to the sky just as another water droplet hits my face. I quickly set Nina down, taking my jacket off and placing it over her bare shoulders. My hands find hers, and we run back inside the hotel as the rain picks up.

As soon as the doors to the elevator close, Nina's body is slamming me against the wall. Her lips hungrily crash down on mine, swallowing my groan.

This has to be the longest elevator ride of my life.

I swear to God, if we don't get to my floor soon, I'm going to end up taking her inside the elevator.

Or I'll just explode.

For once, I actually prefer the ladder.

Finally, the elevator doors open to my floor. I reluctantly pull away from her mouth, and lead her down the hallway to my room. I say a silent_ thank you,_ to nobody in particular, that the cleaning lady is gone, though she left the door open.

I open the door further, slowly pulling Nina closer to me. She shakes my jacket off of her shoulders, exposing more of her body to me. My hands slide up and down her soft arms. I walk her backwards, and she moans into my mouth as my body pushes her against the wall. Her hands pull at the hem of my shirt. I lift my arms in the air, feeling her hands wandering down to my jeans, pulling them down. I kick them somewhere in the room, convinced I'll find them later.

Then, I move my mouth to the skin just under her ear, panting, despite how slow we're moving.

"Your..your dress."

Something between a moan and a giggle escapes her mouth, the sound going straight to the bulge in my pants. She takes her hair out of the fancy styling, letting it fall all over her shoulders, then gathering it in her hand and holding it there.

"Take it off," she moans, turning around to face the wall.

I've never put a wedding dress on anyone, let alone take it off of them.

Shocking, isn't it?

I don't say anything at first, not wanting to prolong the wait with talking. I pull lightly on the semi-hidden zipper, though it doesn't budge. I try once again, pulling at the material surrounding it, still nothing.

Why, oh why, is this dress so complicated?

"Uh, Nina?" At the sound of my voice, she turns her head to the side, placing her cheek against the wall. "I have no idea how to get this damn thing off."

Nina giggles, her eyes opening slightly. "You have to untie it before you can unzip it."

Of course you do.

Following her tip, I find the ties she's referring to, and untie them. Then, I grab hold of the zipper, slowly pulling it down as I pepper her shoulders, arms, and back with light kisses. Light whimpers escape her mouth, and she lays her palms flat against the wall, trying desperately to grab hold of something. The dress falls down her body, landing silently on the floor. She steps out of it, reaching behind her to pull my boxers down. I place my hands on her hips, letting them wander down her legs and slide her panties down.

"Take me right here, Paul..from behind," she whispers.

Oh, dear God.

"_Please_, Paul," she begs.

I grab hold of her hips again, fulfilling her wish. She cries out in pleasure, leaning harder against me, causing me to go deeper. I grunt into her ear, my hands finding hers on the wall, and intertwining our fingers.

I bury my face in the crook of her neck. "I love you so much, baby."

Nina moans as my mouth finds her neck, leaving drawn-out, wet kisses, and light nibbles everywhere I go.

"I love you too, Paul."

* * *

**NINA'S POINT OF VIEW**

The apartment is dark, proving me wrong about the possibility of Candice being awake.

Thank you, God.

After our, ahem, rendezvous..? Paul and I ate some dinner and agreed that, before we can ride off into the sunset to New Jersey, I have to get some stuff from my apartment.

Honestly, it's really too early to be awake right now. I'm usually not awake at this time, unless of course I have to be on set.

The cab driver stops in front of my apartment complex, and I step out of the cab.

I guess it's now or never.

I take the key from under the doormat and quietly slip inside. Candice is sound asleep in her room, so I tiptoe to my room and gather my things.

Let's see..clothes, money, keys, phone.

Yeah, I guess that's about it. For once, packing light will benefit me.

Bag in hand, I walk into the living room and lay my wedding dress on the couch. I place my crown and engagement ring on the coffee table. Then, I take out my phone and send a quick message to Candice.

'Please give the dress, ring, and crown back to Ian, and tell him I'm sorry.'

Sure, it's cryptic, but I'll be able to explain things better when we get back.

I leave my apartment, locking the door on my way out, and putting the spare key under the doormat.

Okay, maybe this is a bad idea.

I've already met Paul's family, though not as the woman who ruined Paul and Torrey's marriage.

I'll just, turn around and go back inside my apartment.

I bet Paul already left, I mean I've been taking a while and-

"Are you okay?" Paul walks over to me and wraps his arms around my shoulders.

I sink into his embrace and breathe in his scent, smiling.

I really need to stop doubting his love for me.

* * *

**PAUL'S POINT OF VIEW**

Nina squirms behind me. "Paul?"

My motorcycle rolls to a stop at a red light. "Yeah?"

She giggles. "Can you, uh, stop at a hotel or something? My ass is numb."

I smile, pulling into a hotel parking lot. Nina hops off before me, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She takes her helmet off and places it on the seat. I take her hand in mine and kiss her forehead as we walk inside the hotel. I check in at the desk, and turn to see Nina staring at me. She looks away, blushing.

I wrap my arm around her waist. "Were you staring at my ass?" I tease, whispering in her ear.

She bites her lip as an answer.

We stumble into the room, our mouths never parting. I kick the door shut, and my hands wander down her back, coming to rest on her ass. Nina smiles against my lips.

"Is your ass still numb?"

She giggles. "A little."

I walk her backwards into the bathroom, opening the shower door and stepping inside with her.

"Well, maybe a nice, hot shower will loosen those tight muscles."

Then, the clothes start to come off. One article after another, until we're both naked. I reach behind Nina for the faucet, and relax instantly as the water pounds against my face. My mouth finds her chest, and our moans echo off of the shower walls in unison.

* * *

"You ready?"

Nina releases her hand from my grip to wipe her sweaty palms on her skirt. She intertwines our fingers again, nodding as I kiss the top of her head.

"Don't worry, they'll love you." Nina squeezes my hand to let me know she appreciates the encouragement.

My mom rushes down the porch steps towards us. She tears me from Nina, kissing both my cheeks and wrapping me in a tight hug. "Welcome home, Paul. I've missed you."

I hug her back, enjoying the simplicity of her embrace. "Thanks, mom. I've missed you too."

She turns to Nina and smiles, taking her in her arms for a hug. "Nina! I'm so happy to see you again! How long has it been?"

"Almost three years. I'm happy to see you too, Mrs. Wasilewski." Nina smiles brightly.

"Both of you, come inside. Dinner's ready."

My mom walks in ahead of us. I reach for Nina's hand, intertwining our fingers and returning the smile she gives me. When we get inside, I notice my dad, Monica, Leah, and Julia already seated at the dinner table. Once they see us, their gazes all fall on us.

Can you say, awkward tension?

"Welcome home, son. It's so good to see you." I move over to my dad and give him a quick hug.

My sisters smile at me as I walk to each of them, giving them all hugs.

My mom puts her hand on Nina's shoulder. "Please, sit. Make yourself at home. I'll go get dinner."

"So, Paul," Leah starts, getting my attention. "Why did you and Torrey get divorced?"

"Leah!" My mom shushes her. "You don't have to answer that, Paul. We can talk about it.." she trails off.

_We can talk about it when Nina's not here, _she wanted to say.

I cough, attempting to not only clear my throat, but also the room of the tension.

Obviously, I'm failing miserably.

I pick up my glass of water.

My mom is the first to speak. "Nina, the guest room is ready for you. If you want, I can take your things for you and-"

I put my glass of water down. "Mom, we're both adults. She can sleep in my room."

She raises her eyebrows, and suddenly it's as if everyone's looking back and forth between Nina and I.

Nina's hand finds my knee under the table, giving me slight comfort. I put my hand over hers.

* * *

"They hate me." Nina pouts.

"They do not hate you." I walk over to her, and smile weakly, running my hands up and down her bare arms. She continues to pout as she places her palms against my bare chest. I put my forehead to hers, kissing her slowly, pulling away a second later, and sucking gingerly on her bottom lip. I swallow the drawn-out moan that escapes her mouth.

"How on earth can I argue with that logic?" she teases, out of breath.

I smile. "Tell you what, tomorrow, we'll all go have some fun. We'll go along the boardwalk, play some impossible games, eat some junk food." She giggles. "By the end of the day, they'll see how amazing you are, and they'll love you."

"More than you love me?" she teases.

I cup her face in my hands. "Not possible."

* * *

Nina's laugh resonates in my ears.

It truly is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

I pull Nina closer to me, squeeze her hand, and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. She giggles some more, bringing a bright smile to my face.

Then, Nina squeezes my hand. "Let's go on the Ferris wheel." Her eyes light up like a Christmas tree, and she pulls my hand in the direction of the ride.

I turn to my sisters. "Nina and I are gonna go on the Ferris wheel. Do you guys wanna come?"

They ignore me as they scurry off to the roller coasters.

I'll take that as a no.

I turn my head to look at her, nodding in agreement, but she's already getting on the ride. I walk faster, sit down next to her, and put my arm around her shoulders. She puts her head in the crook of my neck, closing her eyes. I kiss the top of her head, and the man closes the gate, walking to the controls of the ride. It starts just as the sun starts to set.

"This is perfect." Nina sighs.

I nuzzle my face into her cheek, attacking it with kisses. "You're perfect."

There it is again, her laugh, killing the silence and taking my heart.

"Hey, Paul?" I hum against her cheek. "That night, why didn't you tell me that Ian was going to propose to me?"

I sigh, moving my face, and making it even with hers. "Well, to be honest, I had some other things on my mind." She gives me a look that says, _You_ _know that's not what I meant_. "I don't know, I just..I was going to tell you, but-" I inhale. "I guess, in my mind, I thought that I could be selfish with you, with us, for just a little while longer, and it wouldn't blow up in my face. But, obviously-" I exhale the breath I've been holding since forever. "Obviously, it did."

Nina cups my cheek with her palm, smiling. "And then, you saw the divorce papers." I look into her eyes, always filled with care. "And I panicked." She continues to smile. "I didn't want you to be caught up in the backfire of my divorce. So, I decided to be selfless for once, and I let you go. I thought that Ian could make you happy when I couldn't."

She shakes her head. "But he can't." I return her gaze. "You know that, right?"

I nod, leaning my forehead into hers. "Yeah, I know that now." I bring her in for a sweet, slow kiss, and pull apart, smiling. "Why don't we go find my sisters and get something to eat?"

Nina nods, agreeing, and taking my hand as the ride stops, leaving us at the top. "Ooh, we should get some hotdogs!" she exclaims.

I laugh. "Good call. That'll give me a chance to get you back for wiping ketchup on my face."

She throws her head back and laughs into the sky. "Not unless I get you again."

"We'll see." I cup her face, touching my nose to hers before encompassing her mouth with my own.

One kiss.

About three years ago, it took one kiss for me to realize I was screwed.

One kiss to prove that the intense gaze I had held with this mysterious, yet beautiful, girl was going to cause feelings to grow and fester in me, until I couldn't hold them anymore.

That kiss was fake to most; just a scene between Stefan and Elena. It wasn't real to anybody else but Nina and me.

The real love was between Stefan and Elena, fictional characters in a television show.

Everybody told us we had insane chemistry. That we had a way about us that made our characters more believable.

What they don't know, is where that chemistry comes from.

They don't know about the magnetic force pulling me towards her all the time. They don't hear how my heartbeat quickens at the sound of her voice, or how she has the ability to make me speechless when I look into her captivating, brown eyes. They don't understand that this feeling inside me has been screaming, yearning to burst out and be let free from the box I've kept it in for all this time.

I thought I could just hide, and pretend, and it seemed like people believed the lie.

But Nina didn't.

Somehow, she's known all along. Someway, she's been able to see through my wall I've put up to guard my unmanageable feelings.

It took one look for me to fall in love with her, one kiss to realize that love, and one moment to confess the love that I never thought was right.

One moment to realize that this was supposed to happen.

* * *

**AN: That's it, everybody! I hope you enjoyed my first fan fiction, because I sure did. Thank you all for all your support, reviews, and enthusiasm. Don't worry, I have about a billion more ideas for new fan fictions in this crazy brain of mine. Alright, I'm going to go before I start to sound too cheesy. I love each and every one of you, and again, thank you so much!**

**Leave me some reviews if you have any fan fiction's you'd like for me to write. I will be sure to give you credit. I just ask that you only give ideas for Stelena, Dobsley, Klaroline, Jodice, Mabekah, and Kalijah fan fictions :) pm me if you would like a fan fiction of a different couple from a different show.**


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